Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,997, settled in 1846. Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
Knob Noster gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $270K for a typical one, or 4 years of the Warrensburg area’s $67K median household income. It grades A− overall, 56th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. On the plus side, its public schools beat 79% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation. On safety, just 16 of Missouri’s 213 towns do better. Knob Noster has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Camp Shawnee Historic District and Montserrat Recreation Demonstration Area Bridge. Only 34 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on walkability.
Where Knob Noster beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Knob Noster Elem. | PK–5 | 550 |
| Knob Noster Middle | 6–8 | 381 |
| Knob Noster High | 9–12 | 474 |
Where Knob Noster’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Knob Noster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 914 in 1870, a low of 585 in 1950, 2,782 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1917 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Knob Noster, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Knob Noster.
Knob Noster pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Adults 18 to 34 are 38% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (18% statewide). Knob Noster’s median age is 32 years, where Missouri’s towns sit at 38.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Knob Noster has grown 8.9% since 2020, to 2,997 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 22% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.3 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Knob Noster | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 22.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.8% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.2% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $271K.
Its public schools are run by the Knob Noster R-Viii school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Knob Noster High, with 474 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knob Noster Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 550 | B |
| Knob Noster HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 474 | A− |
| Knob Noster MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 381 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
At 9.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 93% of Missouri’s graded towns.
Knob Noster’s property crime rate is 1.3 per 1,000 residents, below both Missouri’s towns (12.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). Knob Noster reports less crime per resident than 77% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Knob Noster for work: only 8% work in town. 6% of residents live below the poverty line in Knob Noster. Jobs based in Knob Noster grew to 717 in 2023, 81 more than in 2013.
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.5% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Knob Noster has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 21° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Knob Noster.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,493 U.S. towns with household incomes like Knob Noster’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Missouri is cancer: 5.5% of its 2,106 adults have had cancer, against 8.6% statewide.
28% of Knob Noster adults have high blood pressure. Knob Noster beats the Missouri average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 8.8% of Knob Noster adults have diabetes.
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Knob Noster | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.9% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Knob Noster’s median rent is $826 a month. The typical Knob Noster home is worth about $271,000, up 3.6% in a year, close to the Missouri typical home.
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $826 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Knob Noster | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knob Noster State Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Knob Noster City Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Knob Noster
About 9 of every 100 Knob Noster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
5 places in Knob Noster on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Missouri, United States
Knob Noster is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,782 at the 2020 census. It is located adjacent to and closely associated with Whiteman Air Force Base. Knob Noster State Park is nearby.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Knob Noster.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knob Noster | #56 | A− | A− | A− | A− | B− |
| Whiteman AFB | #160 | C | D | — | A− | A− |
Whiteman AFB reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Knob Noster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Knob Noster grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #56 of 247 in Missouri. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
