Rutherford County Market Data
How Many Homes Sell in Rutherford County Each Year?
5,368 homes closed in Rutherford County in 2025. The Turner Victory Team pulls and verifies every year back to 2000, then measures each one against county population. Here is the full record.
5,368 homes sold in Rutherford County, Tennessee in 2025. That is the short answer to how many homes sell in Rutherford County in a year. The figure covers all residential closings, including single family homes, townhomes, and condominiums, across the entire county.
Since 2000, the county has averaged about 5,600 closings per year. The busiest year on record was 2020 at 8,275. The slowest was 2011 at 3,235. Anyone asking how many homes sell in Rutherford County in a typical year is looking at a range that wide.
But the raw count only answers half the question. Rutherford County’s population more than doubled over that same period, from 183,596 residents in 2000 to 386,352 in 2025. Measured against the number of people living here, 2025 was one of the quietest housing markets this county has seen since the aftermath of the financial crisis.
How Many Homes Sell in Rutherford County: Every Year Since 2000
The table below is the complete Rutherford County closing record, updated each January. Each year was pulled individually from Realtracs, the Middle Tennessee MLS, filtered to residential closings in Rutherford County. Population comes from U.S. Census Bureau annual estimates.
The final column is the one that matters most. It divides closings by population to show how many homes sold per 1,000 residents, which is the fairest way to compare one year to another in a county that has grown this much.
| Year | Homes Sold | Population | Sold per 1,000 Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3,767 | 183,596 | 20.5 |
| 2001 | 4,089 | 189,648 | 21.6 |
| 2002 | 4,357 | 196,003 | 22.2 |
| 2003 | 5,252 | 202,642 | 25.9 |
| 2004 | 5,953 | 210,446 | 28.3 |
| 2005 | 6,618 | 219,590 | 30.1 |
| 2006 | 6,683 | 231,030 | 28.9 |
| 2007 | 5,571 | 241,396 | 23.1 |
| 2008 | 4,102 | 249,642 | 16.4 |
| 2009 | 3,760 | 255,775 | 14.7 |
| 2010 | 3,424 | 263,721 | 13.0 |
| 2011 | 3,235 | 269,206 | 12.0 |
| 2012 | 4,114 | 274,482 | 15.0 |
| 2013 | 4,916 | 281,277 | 17.5 |
| 2014 | 5,395 | 289,014 | 18.7 |
| 2015 | 6,108 | 298,401 | 20.5 |
| 2016 | 6,843 | 307,724 | 22.2 |
| 2017 | 7,088 | 316,777 | 22.4 |
| 2018 | 6,923 | 324,809 | 21.3 |
| 2019 | 7,189 | 332,125 | 21.6 |
| 2020 | 8,275 | 343,285 | 24.1 |
| 2021 | 8,202 | 351,202 | 23.4 |
| 2022 | 6,750 | 362,373 | 18.6 |
| 2023 | 5,908 | 370,483 | 15.9 |
| 2024 | 5,719 | 380,086 | 15.0 |
| 2025 | 5,368 | 386,352 | 13.9 |
The table ends with the last completed calendar year. A year still in progress cannot be compared to a finished one, and placing a partial count in a trend line misrepresents it. This page is updated each January once the prior year closes out. For conditions right now, see the Turner Victory Team’s weekly Rutherford County market report.
Homes Sold per 1,000 Rutherford County Residents
This is the same record, adjusted for how many people actually live here. It is the better way to answer how many homes sell in Rutherford County relative to its size. Taller bars mean more of the county was moving that year.
Homes sold per 1,000 Rutherford County residents by year. Turner Victory Team analysis of Realtracs MLS closings and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.
The Busiest Housing Market in Rutherford County History Was 2005, Not 2020
By raw count, 2020 wins. 8,275 homes closed that year, the most ever recorded. 2005 saw 6,618, about 20 percent fewer.
But 2005 happened in a county of 219,590 people. 2020 happened in a county of 343,285. Adjust for that and 2005 turned over 30.1 homes per 1,000 residents while 2020 reached only 24.1.
The most active this county has ever been, relative to the people living in it, was more than twenty years ago in a Rutherford County roughly half its current size. That is why how many homes sell in Rutherford County is a question that needs population attached to it.
2025 Was the Quietest Market Since the Crash Recovery
Rutherford County closed 5,368 homes in 2025. On its own that number sounds healthy. It is above 2013, above 2012, and well above the 2011 bottom of 3,235.
What makes it different is the denominator. Every one of those sales happened in a county with 386,352 residents, roughly 117,000 more people than lived here during the 2011 low.
Adjusted for population, it looks very different. 2025 came in at 13.9 sales per 1,000 residents. The 2011 trough, the worst year of the housing crash aftermath, was 12.0. That put Rutherford County within striking distance of the bottom of the last housing downturn, with no crash, no wave of distressed sales, and no collapse in prices.
The decline is steeper than the raw numbers suggest
Comparing 2025 against earlier peaks shows why population matters:
| Comparison | Raw Change | Per Capita Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 vs 2020 | Down 35% | Down 42% |
| 2025 vs 2005 | Down 19% | Down 54% |
| 2025 vs 2000 | Up 43% | Down 32% |
That last row is the whole page in one line. Compared to the year 2000, Rutherford County sells 43 percent more homes. But it also holds 110 percent more people. Per resident, the market moves at two thirds the pace it did.
Fewer people moving in a growing county means less inventory reaching the market, not weaker demand. That distinction is what the per capita column makes visible, and it explains patterns that look confusing when you read the raw closing count alone.
What Moves the Number Year to Year
Looking at how many homes sell in Rutherford County across more than two decades, the record shows a few patterns clearly.
The 2005 to 2011 collapse
Sales fell from 6,618 to 3,235, a drop of 51 percent over six years. Per capita the fall was steeper, from 30.1 down to 12.0, a 60 percent decline. This is the housing crash, and it took Rutherford County until roughly 2015 to return to its year 2000 turnover rate.
The 2012 to 2020 climb
Eight straight years of gains took the county from 4,114 closings to 8,275. Population grew steadily through the same stretch, so per capita turnover climbed too, though it never got back near the 2005 level.
The 2021 turn
2021 nearly matched 2020 at 8,202 closings. Every year since has come in lower: 6,750, then 5,908, then 5,719, then 5,368. Mortgage rates rose sharply across that window, and owners holding low rate loans became less likely to move.
Growth does not equal sales
Rutherford County added more than 200,000 residents since 2000 and is projected to become Tennessee’s third largest county by 2050. Population growth adds households, but a household that stays put does not create a transaction.
How the Turner Victory Team Answers How Many Homes Sell in Rutherford County
Every year in the table above is pulled individually from Realtracs, the Middle Tennessee MLS, using the same filters each time: Residential property class, Closed status, Rutherford County Tennessee, January 1 through December 31 of that year. Nothing was estimated, interpolated, or carried over from a previous version.
Population figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau annual county population estimates, retrieved through the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Census figures are estimates as of July 1 each year, and the Bureau restates prior years when new estimates are released. This page is rebuilt from the current vintage at each annual update, so prior year figures may shift slightly between versions.
Sales per 1,000 residents is a directional measure of market turnover, not a precise one. Census population counts residents rather than households, and Rutherford County has a large university population that affects the resident count more than it affects the number of households buying and selling homes. Average household size also shifts over a span this long.
The measure is still far more useful than the raw closing count on its own, because it accounts for the single biggest change in this county over that period. But it should be read as a trend, not a precise ratio.
This data is part of Tru Insights™, the market analytics platform John Turner built for the Turner Victory Team. The team also publishes a weekly Rutherford County market report and live interactive market charts updated every Sunday.
Reading This If You Are Buying or Selling
If you are selling
In a year when turnover per resident runs low, there are fewer competing listings, but there are also fewer buyers actively shopping at any given moment. Both sides of the market get thinner together. That is when pricing correctly from day one carries the most weight, because there are fewer chances to correct a mistake.
If you are buying
Low turnover years cut both ways for a buyer. There is less competition for any given home, but there are fewer homes to compare. Rutherford County has never produced transactions at the rate its population growth alone would imply, so being ready to move when the right home appears has consistently mattered more than waiting for a wave of inventory.
Rutherford County has added more than 200,000 residents since 2000 and is projected to become Tennessee’s third largest county by 2050. Growth on that scale changes what a normal year looks like, which is why the closing count on its own is a poor comparison across time.
Knowing how many homes sell in Rutherford County countywide is a starting point, not an answer. What matters to your decision is your price range, your ZIP code, and your subdivision, and those can look very different from the county average in any given year. The Turner Victory Team can pull that specific picture for you.
Questions About How Many Homes Sell in Rutherford County
What Does This Look Like in Your Price Range?
The county average never tells your story. The Turner Victory Team will pull the Tru Insights data for your specific subdivision, ZIP code, or price bracket. No pressure. No obligation. Just the numbers.
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