Tourism in Rutherford County Generated $804.5 Million in Visitor Spending in 2025
Visitors to Rutherford County generated $804,462,487 in spending in 2025, representing a 2.1% increase, which is about $16.8 million over 2024, according to newly released data from Tourism Economics and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Statewide, Tennessee’s tourism industry generated a record $32.5 billion in direct visitor spending in 2025 and $3.3 billion in state and local tax revenue. The state’s tourism economy has grown 40% since 2018, nearly double the national growth rate of 22%.
Visitor spending in Rutherford County grew 45.1% during that time, outpacing the statewide rate, led by increases in transportation.
“Tourism is a major economic driver for Rutherford County, and this growth reflects the outstanding work of our CVB staff and tourism partners. Our history, sporting events, shopping, restaurants, parks, and small-town hospitality give visitors a reason to return.” – Thomas Laird, Board Chair of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.
BY THE NUMBERS*:
- Direct visitor spending in Rutherford County generated $47,705,375 in state tax revenue and $31,151,363 in local tax revenue.
- Every day, visitors spend $2,204,007 on lodging, retail, transportation, recreation and dining throughout Rutherford County.
- If it were not for state and local taxes generated by tourism, each household in Rutherford County would pay $609 more in state and local taxes.
- Visitor-paid taxes support public education and other critical services across Tennessee.
- Rutherford County ranked 7 among the 95 counties in Tennessee based on visitor spending.
*Research conducted by Tourism Economics, commissioned by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. The data above highlights the impact of visitors within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Rutherford County.
“Tennessee is a sales tax state. The quality of our assets – whether that’s live music or entertainment or outdoors – are attractive to visitors,” said Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “Every tax dollar captured from an out-of-state visitor is a dollar retained in Tennessee and used for Tennesseans. It’s incredible to see communities understanding the power of visitor spending, and leveraging that spending for the good of their residents.”
2025 Statewide Highlights:
- Visitors spent $89 million per day across the state in 2025.
- Tennessee’s 2.7% year-over-year growth in visitor spending outpaced the national growth rate of 1.9%.
- Fifty-seven of Tennessee’s 95 counties saw year-over-year growth.
- Visitor spending generated $2 billion in state tax revenue and $1.3 billion in local tax revenue.
Rutherford County is part of Tennessee’s Greater Nashville tourism region, where visitor spending reached $15.2 billion in 2025, up 3.3% over 2024 and up 50% since 2018.
The 2025 Economic Impact on Travel Report analyzes statewide spending and visitation from domestic and international travelers to Tennessee. The report includes methodology used to determine visitor spending, tax generation, job creation and more. The TN Travel Impact Interactive County Dashboard provides instant access to key metrics, statewide and by county, about the economic impact of travel to Tennessee. All data is sourced from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Tourism Economics, with national benchmarks provided by U.S. Travel Association.
