# Rutherford County, Tennessee: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne

The data center boom is not abstract in Rutherford County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Rutherford County. Rutherford County is home to Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Proposed six-month data center moratorium”. Construction employs 6,968, up 39.0% since 2019. Employers here counted 148,438 jobs in 2025, up 10.8% from 2019.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

+10.8%
total jobs since 2019, now 148,438

-8.1%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 780

## Cities and towns in Rutherford County

Rutherford County is home to Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville.

Murfreesboro171,178 residents
Smyrna63,321 residents
La Vergne42,146 residents
Eagleville964 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Christiana, Rockvale, Walterhill.

Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.

## What changed in Rutherford County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 343,285 | 386,352 | ▲ 12.5% | 5th of 95 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 134,019 | 148,438 | ▲ 10.8% | 24th of 95 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $50,010 | $66,586 | ▲ 33.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,014 | 6,968 | ▲ 39.0% | 19th of 55 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 849 | 780 | ▼ 8.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 315 | 302 | ▼ 4.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 3.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. 386,352 people live here, up 12.5% since 2020, 5th of 95 Tennessee counties by population. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 60% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. Nashville Electric Service is the largest utility serving Rutherford County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.47¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.22¢ median for Tennessee utilities. Electrical contractors employ 780, down 8.1% since 2019 against up 20.9% statewide, at an average $76,345 a year.

## Who powers Rutherford County

### Utilities with service territory in Rutherford County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Electric Service | Municipal | Bundled | 417,640 | 13.47¢ | 50% |
| Middle Tennessee E M C | Cooperative | Bundled | 307,370 | 11.76¢ | 37% |
| Duck River Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 71,342 | 12.50¢ | 27% |

Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.

### Operating power plants 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 5 MW | 60% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 40% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTSU Power Co-Gen Plant | Middle Tennessee State University | Natural gas | 5 MW | 1997 |
| SR Christiana, LLC | SR Christiana, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2025 |

## The Rutherford County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 148,438 | $66,586 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 6,968 | $81,194 | 0.89 |
| Electrical contractors | 780 | $76,345 | 0.73 |
| Power and communication line construction | 302 | $88,468 | 1.26 |

Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.

## Data centers and local rules in Rutherford County

1 data center in Rutherford County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed six-month data center moratorium | Proposed | 2026-08 |

## Rutherford County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Rutherford County, Davidson County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.

[[[[[[[

| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County | 386,352 | ▲ 10.8% | 8 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Bedford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/bedford-county) | 55,273 | ▲ 4.8% | 35 MW | — | — | — |
| Cannon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/cannon-county) | 15,296 | ▲ 0.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Coffee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/coffee-county) | 62,419 | ▼ 1.0% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Davidson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/davidson-county) | 745,904 | ▲ 8.2% | 53 MW | — | 24 | 1 |
| Marshall County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/marshall-county) | 38,071 | ▲ 1.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Williamson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/williamson-county) | 272,061 | ▲ 8.1% | — | — | 7 | — |
| Wilson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/wilson-county) | 175,033 | ▲ 34.8% | — | — | — | 1 |

## More of Tennessee

[All Tennessee countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee)[Davidson County745,904 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/davidson-county)[Williamson County272,061 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/williamson-county)[Wilson County175,033 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/wilson-county)[Coffee County62,419 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/coffee-county)[Bedford County55,273 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/bedford-county)

## Rutherford County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Rutherford County, Tennessee?

3 utilities have service territory in Rutherford County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Nashville Electric Service, Middle Tennessee E M C, Duck River Elec Member Corp. The largest, Nashville Electric Service, charged residential customers 13.47¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Murfreesboro, TN in?

Murfreesboro is in Rutherford County, Tennessee. About 171,178 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Smyrna, TN in?

Smyrna is in Rutherford County, Tennessee. About 63,321 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is La Vergne, TN in?

La Vergne is in Rutherford County, Tennessee. About 42,146 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Rutherford County?

2 operating plants with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is MTSU Power Co-Gen Plant (5 MW, natural gas).

### Are there data centers in Rutherford County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Rutherford County.

### Is Rutherford County adding jobs?

Employers counted 148,438 jobs in 2025 against 134,019 in 2019 (+10.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 5,014 to 6,968.

### Does Rutherford County have a data center moratorium?

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Rutherford County, 0 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/tennessee/rutherford-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).