Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Independence gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $211K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the county’s $78K median household income. It grades A− overall, ranked 52nd of 140 in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. Independence has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Munson Building and Wapsipinicon River Bridge. 33% of working residents work locally in Independence, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. Independence's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Independence beats most towns.
Wapsipinicon Mill
Census counts: 1,395 in 1860, 6,064 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Independence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Independence, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Independence.
Independence pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Iowa norm, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly inland flooding).
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $667 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 250 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 250 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence. Only 6 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Independence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Independence Community School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Independence Junior Senior High School, with 712 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 360 | B |
| Independence Junior Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 712 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Independence has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Independence’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Independence beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of Independence adults binge drink.
| Independence | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Independence | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 11.6% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 70.4% | 66.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
About one in 3 of Independence’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Independence grew to 3,568 in 2023, 296 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Independence is 20 minutes.
| Independence | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.8% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Independence grades A− overall with a typical home of about $211K, below the Iowa typical value; only 10 of the 55 Iowa towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $211K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
The typical Independence home is worth about $211,000, up 3.9% in a year, 11% below the Iowa typical home.
| Independence | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $820 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. Independence has grown 4.2% since 2020, to 6,312 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 21% of residents are 65 or older in Independence.
| Independence | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.9 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 25% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.3, men 39.0.
| Independence | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.5% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.4% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1.2 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves.
| Independence | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Orchard Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Riverwalk Park | — | 11 |
| 3. Lion's Club Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Independence; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Independence residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
12 places in Independence on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in the United States
Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Independence grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #52 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
