Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety52#7,494/15,637
Economy37#9,892/15,631
Housing93#1,123/14,977
Health34#10,331/15,609
Healthcare20#12,562/15,650
Environment94#887/15,453
Education68#4,957/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,574/15,650
Community32#10,634/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,457/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Knob Noster, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Johnson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.341
96/100Missouri 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent as share of income · low24.1%
95/100Missouri 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low33.0%
91/100Missouri 45.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
87/100Missouri 33 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauJohnson County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Missouri 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJohnson County value
Loneliness · low31.9%
83/100Missouri 32.5%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.5 /10k
2/100Missouri 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJohnson County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.8 /10k
8/100Missouri 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJohnson County value
Average weekly wage · low$933
9/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJohnson County value
Unemployment rate · high10.0%
9/100Missouri 4.0%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Voter turnout · low56.6%
14/100Missouri 66.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionJohnson County value
Primary care shortage · high16.0
14/100Missouri 10.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationJohnson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
4.7 /1k (2021) → 1.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−70%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
17.3% (2015-2019) → 29.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$41,908 (2015-2019) → $62,353 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateWorsening
0.8% (2015-2019) → 10.0% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
87.7% (2015-2019) → 95.2% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Average commute timeWorsening
16.2 min (2015-2019) → 21.2 min (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Knob Noster, Missouri improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Bachelor's++12 points17.3% → 29.4%
Household income+49%$41,908 → $62,353

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Knob Noster, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.2 min2015-2019	21.2 min2020-2024	+5.0 min	Within the margin of error	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.3%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	94%
Broadband subscriptions	91.0%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.69%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	87.7%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3612015-2019	0.3412020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	67%
Median household income	$41,9082015-2019	$62,3532020-2024	+49%	Improved	83%
Poverty rate	9.6%2015-2019	6.0%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	23.1%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	35.1%2015-2019	33.0%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.7%2015-2019	9.1%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Knob Noster, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Knob Noster, Missouri in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Knob Noster, Missouri itself moved +4.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,838 residents (±23)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−6.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,838 residents (±23)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

White82%2,319
Black8.7%†246
Hispanic or Latino1.0%†28
Asian0.7%†21
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†5
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander1.4%†40
Other or two or more races6.3%†179

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (−8.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,831 residents (±165)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma4.8%†87
High school or GED29%536
Some college24%435
Associate degree13%†234
Bachelor's degree20%†371
Graduate degree9.2%†168

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+10.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,298 households (±145)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k9.0%†117
$25k–50k33%†432
$50k–75k24%†310
$75k–100k12%†154
$100k–150k15%†194
$150k–200k5.5%†72
$200k or more1.5%†19

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−8.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,298 households (±145)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Own54%703
Rent46%595

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+11.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

582 households (±132)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $75022%†127
$750–1,00041%†239
$1,000–1,50032%†184

Home values

703 homes (±127)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k32%†224
$150k–250k43%302
$250k–400k23%†160

Age of homes

1,321 homes (±138)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later13%†172
2000–200929%381
1980–199926%†342

Size of homes

1,321 homes (±138)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio0.8%†11
1 bedroom13%†176
2 bedrooms26%†348

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,565 workers (±147)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone79%1,235
Carpool15%†230
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.9%†92
Other0.5%†8

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,473 workers (±161)

Knob Noster, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min44%642
15–29 min40%†582
30–44 min6.9%†102

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Warrensburg, MO

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Johnson County, the county holding most of Knob Noster's residents.

Johnson County has 951 employer establishments, 173 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.71× Missouri's), with 10,744 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,037. The Census Bureau also counts 3,541 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 951; 3,541 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 173; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 10,744
Average annual pay: $41,037; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Johnson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	91	16.5	1.07×About typical	306	$49,340	390
Restaurants and other eating places	69	12.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	1,409	$18,972	13
Ambulatory health care services	63	11.4	0.55×Fewer than typical	431	$55,499	112
Religious organizations	47	8.5	1.54×More than typical	191	$16,120	—
Lessors of real estate	43	7.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	96	$48,604	365
Construction of buildings	40	7.3	0.96×About typical	134	$48,291	189
Building equipment contractors	37	6.7	1.12×About typical	187	$52,214	78
Limited-service restaurants	36	6.5	0.82×About typical	751	$16,735	9
Full-service restaurants	30	5.4	0.71×Fewer than typical	598	$21,207	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	29	5.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	105	$30,105	215
Offices of other health practitioners	26	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	143	$43,503	64
Automotive repair and maintenance	23	4.2	0.83×About typical	77	$32,675	68

Rank places for an industry Open Johnson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 55,051 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $32.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Knob Noster, Missouri: $11.33 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $32.1K; −62% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.33; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$32.1K100%

Top recipients

BURNS & MCDONNELL ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC.$27.2K85%
CDM FEDERAL PROGRAMS CORPORATION$4,96915%

Spending by fiscal year

105.4KFY2017
84.1KFY2018
109.8KFY2019
17KFY2020
1.4KFY2021
71KFY2022
0FY2023
42.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$32.1K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Knob Noster, Missouri, so they do not add up across cities.

Knob Noster, Missouri's figures are part of those of Johnson County, MO ($126.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Knob Noster is mostly in Johnson County.

See federal money in Johnson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Knob Noster, Missouri is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mark AlfordR-MO-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Johnson County57100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Warrensburg, MO53

Other cities and towns in Johnson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2939188

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends