# Rutherford, North Carolina — #1,694 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.21 of 10. FIPS 37161. Population 65,507. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 65,500 people live in Rutherford, North Carolina. It ranks #1,694 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #55 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.62% of a home's value each year, less than in 63% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 63% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 72% of counties. Life expectancy is about 71.6 years, shorter than in 87% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 60% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 43), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 69% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.69 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.37 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.28 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.90 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 2.08 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 1.60 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.29 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 2.06 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1443 Burke, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37023.md
- #1319 Buncombe, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37021.md
- #1930 Spartanburg, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45083.md
- #417 Polk, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37149.md
- #2167 Cleveland, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37045.md
- #2417 Cherokee, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45021.md
- #855 Henderson, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37089.md
- #1139 McDowell, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37111.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37161
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37161
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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