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Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease in China. The aim of this study was to examine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and knee OA in a population-based Chinese study. Methods Data included in this analysis is from a cross-sectional study, i.e., the Xiangya Hospital Health Management Center Study. MetS was diagnosed according to the criteria defined by the Chinese Diabetes Society. Radiographic knee OA was defined as changes equivalent to Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade 2 or above at least one side. Associations between MetS and its components with OA were evaluated by conducting multivariable adjusted logistic regression. Results A total of 5764 participants were included in the present study. The unadjusted OR (1.27, 95%CI: 1.10–1.47, P = 0.001), age-sex adjusted OR (1.17, 95%CI: 1.01–1.36, P = 0.041) and multivariable adjusted OR (1.17, 95%CI: 1.01–1.36, P = 0.043) all suggested a positive association between MetS and knee OA. Besides, its components (e.g., overweight, hypertension and dyslipidemia) were also associated with the prevalence of radiographic knee OA respectively, after adjusting for some confounding factors. In addition, with the accumulation of MetS components, the prevalence of knee OA increased. Furthermore, MetS as a whole was associated with the prevalence of knee osteophyte (OSP) (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.42–2.09, P