Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Independence gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $121K for a typical one, or 2.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income. It grades C overall, 107th of 150 graded towns in Kansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 39% of working residents work locally in Independence, where Kansas’ towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Booth Hotel and Independence Public Carnegie Library. Only 4 of the 86 Kansas towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Independence.
Where Independence beats most towns.
Booth Hotel
Census counts: 435 in 1870, a peak of 12,782 in 1930, 8,548 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 7 maps from 1886 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), 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 is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kansas (mostly inland flooding).
At 2.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income, the typical home (about $121K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Kansas towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 8.7% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Independence is $789 a month.
| Independence | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $789 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Independence school district. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Independence Sr High, with 550 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 376 | B− |
| Independence Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 550 | C+ |
| Jefferson SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 356 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Kansas towns, with expected losses of about $260 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 92 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence. Only 5 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Independence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Independence has chilly winters and warm summers. Independence’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Independence’s working residents works in town. 3.9% of Independence workers work from home. Since 2013, Independence has added 237 jobs, to 3,924 in 2023.
| Independence | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 3.9% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,144 U.S. towns with household incomes like Independence’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Independence beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Independence.
| Independence | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Independence | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.7% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Independence's reported crime rate is well above Kansas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 43 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kansas average. Independence has lost 4.3% of its people since 2020, down to 8,193 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Kansas.
| Independence | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.3 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Independence | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.4% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.9% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
0.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside Park and Zoo, at 61 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park and Zoo | — | 61 |
| 2. Independence Dog Park | — | 9 |
| 3. South 10th Street Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Independence
About 4 of every 100 Independence residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
14 places in Independence on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Independence.
City in Montgomery County, Kansas
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Independence Community College is located here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Independence.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | #107 | C | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Independence Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Sycamore Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Drum Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Independence Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Independence and Independence Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Sycamore Township and Drum Creek Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Independence with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Independence grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #107 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
24 notable people were born here, including William Inge and Gerry Bamman.
