Pilot Knob is a city in northeast Iron County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States. The population was 671 at the 2020 census. It lies south-east of

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

and north-east of Centerville.

History

Pilot Knob was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1858. The city was named after the Pilot Knob mountain nearby, which served as a navigational landmark or "pilot" to hunters and travelers. A post office called Pilot Knob has been in operation since 1858. The Battle of Pilot Knob in the fall of 1864 was a notable clash in the area during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. A museum near the battle site is dedicated to this event.

Geography

Pilot Knob is located on Missouri Route 21 approximately north-northeast of Ironton and southeast of

Elephant Rocks State Park Elephant Rocks State Park is a geologic reserve and public recreation area encompassing an outcropping of Precambrian granite in the Saint Francois Mountains in the U.S. state of Missouri. The state park is named for a string of large granite bo ...

.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1st ed., 1998, p. 56 According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 746 people, 335 households, and 195 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 392 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.37%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.34%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.47% Native American, 0.40% Asian, and 2.41% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population. There were 335 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 20.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 697 people, 283 households, and 189 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 326 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.97%

, 5.88%

, 0.29% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.86% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population. There were 283 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,702, and the median income for a family was $22,794. Males had a median income of $22,344 versus $16,691 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,487. About 20.1% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 46.3% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iron County, Missouri Cities in Missouri