diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -2493,8 +2493,8 @@ def status(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     -i (ignored), -C (copies) or -A is given.  Unless options described
     with "show only ..." are given, the options -mardu are used.
 
-    Option -q/--quiet hides untracked files unless explicitly
-    requested by -u.
+    Option -q/--quiet hides untracked (unknown and ignored) files
+    unless explicitly requested with -u/--unknown or -i/-ignored.
 
     NOTE: status may appear to disagree with diff if permissions have
     changed or a merge has occurred. The standard diff format does not
@@ -2522,9 +2522,17 @@ def status(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     cwd = (pats and repo.getcwd()) or ''
     modified, added, removed, deleted, unknown, ignored, clean = [
         n for n in repo.status(node1=node1, node2=node2, files=files,
-                             match=matchfn,
-                             list_ignored=all or opts['ignored'],
-                             list_clean=all or opts['clean'])]
+                               match=matchfn,
+                               list_ignored=opts['ignored']
+                                            or all and not ui.quiet,
+                               list_clean=opts['clean'] or all,
+                               list_unknown=opts['unknown']
+                                            or not (ui.quiet or
+                                                    opts['modified'] or
+                                                    opts['added'] or
+                                                    opts['removed'] or
+                                                    opts['deleted'] or
+                                                    opts['ignored']))]
 
     changetypes = (('modified', 'M', modified),
                    ('added', 'A', added),
@@ -2541,11 +2549,6 @@ def status(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
                                 if all or opts[ct[0]]]
                                or changetypes):
 
-        # skip unknown files if -q, but -u and -A have priority over -q
-        if (not opts['unknown']) and (not opts['all']):
-            if opt == 'unknown' and ui.quiet:
-                continue
-
         if opts['no_status']:
             format = "%%s%s" % end
         else:
diff --git a/mercurial/dirstate.py b/mercurial/dirstate.py
--- a/mercurial/dirstate.py
+++ b/mercurial/dirstate.py
@@ -383,8 +383,8 @@ class dirstate(object):
         for src, f, st in self.statwalk(files, match, badmatch=badmatch):
             yield src, f
 
-    def statwalk(self, files=None, match=util.always, ignored=False,
-                 badmatch=None, directories=False):
+    def statwalk(self, files=None, match=util.always, unknown=True,
+                 ignored=False, badmatch=None, directories=False):
         '''
         walk recursively through the directory tree, finding all files
         matched by the match function
@@ -412,6 +412,7 @@ class dirstate(object):
                 return False
             return match(file_)
 
+        # TODO: don't walk unknown directories if unknown and ignored are False
         ignore = self._ignore
         dirignore = self._dirignore
         if ignored:
@@ -527,7 +528,7 @@ class dirstate(object):
             if imatch(k):
                 yield 'm', k, None
 
-    def status(self, files, match, list_ignored, list_clean):
+    def status(self, files, match, list_ignored, list_clean, list_unknown=True):
         lookup, modified, added, unknown, ignored = [], [], [], [], []
         removed, deleted, clean = [], [], []
 
@@ -545,14 +546,15 @@ class dirstate(object):
         dadd = deleted.append
         cadd = clean.append
 
-        for src, fn, st in self.statwalk(files, match, ignored=list_ignored):
+        for src, fn, st in self.statwalk(files, match, unknown=list_unknown,
+                                         ignored=list_ignored):
             if fn in dmap:
                 type_, mode, size, time, foo = dmap[fn]
             else:
                 if (list_ignored or fn in files) and self._dirignore(fn):
                     if list_ignored:
                         iadd(fn)
-                else:
+                elif list_unknown:
                     uadd(fn)
                 continue
             if src == 'm':
diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
                 yield src, fn
 
     def status(self, node1=None, node2=None, files=[], match=util.always,
-               list_ignored=False, list_clean=False):
+               list_ignored=False, list_clean=False, list_unknown=True):
         """return status of files between two nodes or node and working directory
 
         If node1 is None, use the first dirstate parent instead.
@@ -995,7 +995,8 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
         if not node2:
             (lookup, modified, added, removed, deleted, unknown,
              ignored, clean) = self.dirstate.status(files, match,
-                                                    list_ignored, list_clean)
+                                                    list_ignored, list_clean,
+                                                    list_unknown)
 
             # are we comparing working dir against its parent?
             if compareworking:
diff --git a/tests/test-help.out b/tests/test-help.out
--- a/tests/test-help.out
+++ b/tests/test-help.out
@@ -222,8 +222,8 @@ show changed files in the working direct
     -i (ignored), -C (copies) or -A is given.  Unless options described
     with "show only ..." are given, the options -mardu are used.
 
-    Option -q/--quiet hides untracked files unless explicitly
-    requested by -u.
+    Option -q/--quiet hides untracked (unknown and ignored) files
+    unless explicitly requested with -u/--unknown or -i/-ignored.
 
     NOTE: status may appear to disagree with diff if permissions have
     changed or a merge has occurred. The standard diff format does not
diff --git a/tests/test-status b/tests/test-status
--- a/tests/test-status
+++ b/tests/test-status
@@ -82,13 +82,14 @@ function assert {
 }
 
 # assert flag1 flag2 [0-same | 1-different]
-assert "-q" "-mard"     0
-assert "-A" "-mardicCu" 0
-assert "-qA" "-mardicCu" 0
-assert "-qAu" "-A"      0
-assert "-qA" "-A"       0
-assert "-qu" "-u"       0
-assert "-q" "-u"        1
-assert "-m" "-a"        1
-assert "-r" "-d"        1
+assert "-q" "-mard"      0
+assert "-A" "-marduicC"  0
+assert "-qA" "-mardcC"   0
+assert "-qAui" "-A"      0
+assert "-qAu" "-marducC" 0
+assert "-qAi" "-mardicC" 0
+assert "-qu" "-u"        0
+assert "-q" "-u"         1
+assert "-m" "-a"         1
+assert "-r" "-d"         1