County government · Rutherford County, TN

Rutherford County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Rutherford County took in $808 million and spent $1.00 billion.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

State tax money50%County taxes31%Fees for services (school lunches, garbage collection)8.3%Fines and other5.5%Federal tax money4.7%Local tax money0.5%

What stands out

50%

of Rutherford County's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. county of 250,000+ people gets 19%.

County taxes31%

Property tax
26%$212 million
Other taxes
3.3%$26.3 million
What's in other taxesOther selective sales taxes; motor vehicle licenses and 3 more
  • Other selective sales taxes$14.2 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$9.4 million
  • Other licenses$1.3 million
  • Alcoholic beverage taxes$778 thousand
  • Severance taxes$530 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Sales tax
1.4%$11.2 million

Fees for services8.3%

Fees for services
8.3%$67.2 million
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; other school charges and 3 more
  • Other service charges$30.1 million
  • Other school charges$28.2 million
  • School lunches$7.4 million
  • Garbage collection$1.5 million
  • School tuition and transportation$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money4.7%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
4.7%$37.8 million

State tax money50%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
50%$405 million

Local tax money0.5%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From other local governments
0.5%$3.7 million

Fines and other5.5%

Interest, rents and other
5.2%$42.1 million
Fines
0.3%$2.6 million

Where it goes

Schools and colleges69%Police, fire, courts and jails13%Running the government and other costs9.1%Health and hospitals4.3%Interest on debt1.6%All other spending3.4%

What stands out

69%

of Rutherford County's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. counties of 250,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Schools and colleges
69%$691 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$691 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
13%$125 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; prisons and jails and 4 more
  • Police$63.8 million
  • Prisons and jails$33.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$16.6 million
  • Fire protection$6.7 million
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$3.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.4 million
Running the government and other costs
9.1%$91.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$45.6 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$29.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$16.5 million
Health and hospitals
4.3%$42.7 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$42.7 million
Interest on debt
1.6%$15.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
1.5%$15.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$15.2 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
0.7%$6.8 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$6.8 million
Social services
0.4%$3.9 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$3.9 million
Sent to other local governments
0.3%$3.3 million
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$3.3 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
0.3%$2.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$2.2 million
  • Parks and recreation$767 thousand
Environment and natural resources
0.1%$1.4 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$1.4 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Rutherford County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

What this covers. The money of Rutherford County itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.