Manzanar War Relocation Center, National Historic Site · Photo: Dorothea Lange · Public domainJobs, pay and the trip to work in Independence
About one in ten stay in Independence for work; outside it, Bishop is the main destination (21%, 39 miles). 11% of workers work from home (California 17%). Working residents average 15 minutes each way (California 29, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Independence in brief
Independence’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Independence is Bishop, 39 miles away as the crow flies. 21% of working residents (48) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
45% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Commutes from Independence are quick
The average trip to work takes 15 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 107 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 230 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Short hops and long hauls from Independence
About 45% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The trip to work from Independence: about 15 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 171 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily flow of workers through Independence
On a workday 206 residents head out to work, 24 work right here, and 333 people come in from elsewhere.
About 860 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Independence’s workers come from
Where Independence clocks in
21% of workers
7% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
In Independence, services account for most jobs
357 jobs are based in Independence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 295 → 357. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Independence’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Independence: questions
What is the median household income in Independence?
$73,850 (±$8,322) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
6.5%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
15 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bishop (21%, 39 mi), Big Pine (7%, 24 mi), Fresno (5%, 88 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Independence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Independence, from the people who make the trip.
More of Independence
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.