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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-KNOB-NOSTER-MO · Knob Noster, MO 2,824 pop · income 36th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Knob Noster
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Knob Noster on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Licking · lowest
32,813
Licking · lowest
32,813 median HH income
13.1% of the leader · rank #1
Mingo Junction · near
60,288
Mingo Junction · near
60,288 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #2
Kendall · near
60,291
Kendall · near
60,291 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #3
Fort Wayne · near
60,293
Fort Wayne · near
60,293 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #4
Knob Noster · this city
60,294
Knob Noster · this city
60,294 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #5
Bellefontaine · near
60,296
Bellefontaine · near
60,296 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #6
Belle Meade · highest
250,001
Belle Meade · highest
250,001 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Knob Noster on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,824.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Knob Noster - the verdict
Nationally, Knob Noster sits in the 36th percentile for household income and the 97th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
36th
percentile, household income
26th
percentile, home value
7th
percentile, median rent
97th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Knob Noster, MO
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,824 residents in Knob Noster, a small town within Missouri. Households in Knob Noster report a median income of $60,294 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 12.2%. Typical homes in Knob Noster are valued around $146,700, and the median resident age is 31.0 years. About 25.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 47.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 21 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 110% from five years earlier. Knob Noster reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 136.6 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Missouri scores 90.8 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $972 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Missouri run around $219, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 50.6 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Knob Noster's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to schools and households to reported crime to work and mobility to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Knob Noster, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, local building permits, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Knob Noster?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the education layer cover for Knob Noster?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 25.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Knob Noster?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 136.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 94% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Which cities make useful reference points for Knob Noster?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Licking (2,816 residents, $32,813 income); Montgomery City (2,810 residents, $51,707 income); Moline Acres (2,806 residents, $55,069 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Belle Meade, TN (2,824 residents); Kewaunee, WI (2,824 residents); East Sonora, CA (2,823 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Knob Noster?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
78.4%
Work from home
6.2%
Public transit
0.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,517 workers age 16+.
Is Knob Noster growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +241 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +8.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 21 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
2,756
2025 estimate
2,997
Period change
+8.7%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 12.2% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
C
City profile score · Knob Noster, MO
59/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living A-
90.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share C-
25.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$60,294
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
12.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Knob Noster profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 51/100 (C-) · 25.8%
Household income: 35/100 (F) · $60,294
Poverty rate: 31/100 (F) · 12.2%
Where Knob Noster sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Knob Noster's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Knob Noster highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Knob Noster, MO (this city): home $146,700, crime 137/100k
Belle Meade, TN : home $2,000,000+, crime 839/100k
Kewaunee, WI : home $134,900, crime 323/100k
Donalsonville, GA : home $100,500, crime 921/100k
Marengo, IA : home $114,100, crime 1,463/100k
Moline Acres, MO : home $76,500, crime 3,659/100k
Owensville, MO : home $133,100, crime 1,075/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Knob Noster compare to other US cities?
Where Knob Noster sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income36% higher than other cities
Home value26% pricier than other cities
Median rent7% pricier than other cities
Safety97% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Missouri, Knob Noster ranks #5 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Knob Noster against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Missouri-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Knob Noster near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Knob Noster ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Knob Noster only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#308 of 842
63rd percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#310 of 833
63rd percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#347 of 875
60th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#206 of 875
76th percentile in Missouri
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
36th percentile nationally for median household income · 97th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Knob Noster's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Knob Noster's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Knob Noster's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$146,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 74% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Knob Noster's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,667 of 15,516
More affordable than 76% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,331 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.4×, Knob Noster sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,667 of 15,516 and #3,331 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$60,294Knob Noster, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Knob Noster, MO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Knob Noster, MO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)25.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)12.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)47.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,824
Median Income
$60,294
Median Home Value
$146,700
Median Age
31.0
Poverty Rate
12.2%
Labor force participation
47.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
25.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
136.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
136.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Knob Noster's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,756 residents
2021
2,784 residents
2022
2,808 residents
2023
2,865 residents
2024
2,919 residents
2025
2,997 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
21
housing units authorized
Single-Family
19
detached homes
Multifamily
2
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
7.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
10
10
0
$1.3M
2020
11
11
0
$1.4M
2021
13
13
0
$1.7M
2022
14
14
0
$1.8M
2023
11
11
0
$1.4M
2024
21
19
2
$7.1M
Permit volume increased 110% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.4%
Carpool
14.8%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
6.2%
Based on 1,517 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Missouri statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $219
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Missouri at $219 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Missouri statewide averages, not a meter reading for Knob Noster. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Missouri's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Knob Noster is $972/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Missouri statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Missouri statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Knob Noster sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Knob Noster compares to similar-size Missouri cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.