Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Independence Community College.
The best of Independence Township’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Only 4 of the 150 Kansas towns we compare have a lower median rent than Independence Township. The biggest park or preserve is Elk City Wildlife Area, at 3,285 acres. Independence Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Independence Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Independence Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Independence Township, 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 Township.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 83 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Bible School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 127 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Independence Township has chilly winters and warm summers. Independence Township’s July high is 91°F, close to Kansas’ towns (91°F) and above U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Independence Township for work: only 9% work in town. Independence Township’s average trip to work is 21 minutes, near the Kansas town median (20 minutes) and below the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Independence (31%), Coffeyville (11%) and Neodesha (5%).
| Independence Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.6% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). The median age in Independence Township is 44 years. Independence Township has lost 4% of its people since 2020, down to 2,165 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Independence Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 24% | 22% |
57% women, 43% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.6 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Independence Township | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.4% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.6% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.3% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
Independence Township beats the Kansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 39% of Independence Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Independence Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Independence Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 77.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Independence Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Independence Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elk City Wildlife Area | — | 3,285 |
| 2. Montgomery State Fishing Lake | 0.2 mi | 340 |
| 3. Elk City State Park | — | 250 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Independence Township
About 8 of every 100 Independence Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
2 places in Independence Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
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)
6 towns share a border with Independence Township.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Independence | #107 | C | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Drum Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rutland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Liberty Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fawn Creek Township | — | — | C | — | B | C− |
| Sycamore Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Independence Township and Fawn Creek Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Independence Township, Independence and Fawn Creek Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Drum Creek Township, Rutland Township, Liberty Township and Sycamore Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Independence Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.
