New U.S. Census data puts Rutherford County at the top of the list of fastest growing counties in Tennessee.

Figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau placed Rutherford as the 57th fastest growing county in the nation. Rutherford County’s 2008 population stands at 249,270, up nearly 3.5 percent compared to 241,462 the previous year.

County Mayor Ernest Burgess wasn’t aware new figures had been released and was surprised by the total Friday afternoon.

“That seems like a little bit of a stretch, but we’ll go with what they have. That’s 3,000 to 4,000 households and it hasn’t shown up in our school enrollment,” he said, noting the county added about 800 students in 2008-2009, compared to 1,500 to 2,000 in previous years.

Census numbers show the county experienced a population increase of 36.9 percent, or 67,247, between April 2000 and July 1, 2008. Based on population totals, Rutherford is the fifth largest county behind Shelby, Davidson, Knox and Hamilton counties.

Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne all held special counts in 2008. Murfreesboro’s certified population is 100,575, Smyrna’s is 38,073 and La Vergne’s is 26,472.