Pike County /

Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1818 and named for Zebulon M. Pike, explorer. As of 2010, the population was 18,516. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The folksong Sweet Betsy from Pike is generally thought to refer to Pike County, Missouri. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 685 square miles (1,774 km²), of which, 673 square miles (1,743 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.75% water. Pike County, Missouri, is one of the few counties in the United States to border its namesake in another state—in this case, Pike County, Illinois. As of the census of 2010, there were 18,516 people, 6,451 households, and 4,476 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 7,493 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.44% White, 9.17% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.