Photo: The original uploader was Pollinator at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0Murfreesboro spent less per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Murfreesboro’s city government spent $268.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,651 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.6 million) and the airport ($3.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Murfreesboro is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
4 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Murfreesboro’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov5City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council - RegularMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12City CouncilThursday · 11:30 amCity Council - WorkshopMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec3City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council - RegularMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec17City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council - RegularMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct15City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct15City CouncilThursday · 2:00 pmCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct1City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Sep17City CouncilThursday · 6:00 pmCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Sep10City CouncilThursday · 11:30 amCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,651 per resident a year, or $4.52 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 46% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Murfreesboro runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Tennessee cities that run their own schools.
$1,567 per resident in 2022: less than 100% of them
Murfreesboro’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,567 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Tennessee cities that run their own schools: the median was $2,960, and the middle half spent $2,453–$3,382. Murfreesboro spent less than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Murfreesboro itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Murfreesboro reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,567 · 2023: $1,616 · 2024: $1,651. Per resident it went from $1,567 to $1,651 (up 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 150,757 to 162,398.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,027 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,323 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Murfreesboro’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Murfreesboro’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Murfreesboro →
Who’s in charge in Murfreesboro
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 61 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (162,398).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Murfreesboro City School District
Murfreesboro’s elementary school district. The schools are run by Murfreesboro, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $12,371 per pupil, $7,816 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Murfreesboro’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Murfreesboro alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rutherford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.1%88,811 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.4%56,656 votesOthers: 1.5% (2,189 votes).
Most votes in Rutherford County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Murfreesboro lies in Rutherford County. Every 2024 race in Rutherford County is on the county’s page.
Rutherford County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Murfreesboro sends 5 representatives to the Tennessee House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: murfreesborotn.gov ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseMurfreesboro is split between 5 districts
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Murfreesboro compares with the towns next door
Murfreesboro spent $1,567 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,138. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Smyrna | $1,138 | $1,764 |
| Murfreesboro | $1,567 | $2,323 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Murfreesboro’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Murfreesboro’s government
How much does Murfreesboro spend per resident?
About $1,651 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,567 was less than 100% of 23 Tennessee cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Murfreesboro?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,323 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see murfreesborotn.gov.
Who runs Murfreesboro’s government?
See murfreesborotn.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Murfreesboro yet.
How did Murfreesboro vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Murfreesboro alone. Rutherford County, where 100% of Murfreesboro lies, voted Trump 60.1%, Harris 38.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Murfreesboro?
2,664 full-time and 666 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $14.7M (about $176.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Murfreesboro in the state legislature?
Murfreesboro is split among 5 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Tennessee Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Murfreesboro?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Thursday, November 5, at 6:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Murfreesboro’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →