Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Rutherford run?
Rutherford’s town government spent $767,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $721 per resident. Water and other utilities ($368,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rutherford is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $721 per resident a year, or $1.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$721 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Rutherford’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($721 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $574, and the middle half spent $297–$828. Rutherford spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($104,000), 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 of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rutherford itself left out).
No trend yet
Rutherford reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $700 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 Rutherford’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Rutherford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rutherford →
Who’s in charge in Rutherford
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rutherford’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofrutherford.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 106 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,064).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Gibson County School District
Rutherford’s K–12 school district, shared with Dyer, Gibson, Medina, Yorkville, Kenton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,635 per pupil, $6,534 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.
Rutherford’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Rutherford alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Gibson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.5%16,346 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.6%5,100 votesOthers: 0.9% (202 votes).
Most votes in Gibson County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Rutherford lies in Gibson County. Every 2024 race in Gibson County is on the county’s page.
Gibson 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
Every level of government that speaks for Rutherford.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofrutherford.org ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Rutherford’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rutherford’s government
How much does Rutherford spend per resident?
About $721 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $721 was more than 64% of 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rutherford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $700 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofrutherford.org.
Who runs Rutherford’s government?
See townofrutherford.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rutherford yet.
How did Rutherford vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Rutherford alone. Gibson County, where 100% of Rutherford lies, voted Trump 75.5%, Harris 23.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Rutherford?
10 full-time and 35 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $44,983 (about $539,796 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Rutherford in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (John Stevens) and State House District 79 (Brock Martin). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rutherford’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 →