Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Independence have lower incomes than those in 87% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 4% of workers (Kansas 12%). 18.4% of residents are in poverty, next to 11.3% for Kansas as a whole. The two grades for Independence are D for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Independence
The figures behind Independence’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Independence is better than 9% of U.S. towns, #148 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Independence’s grade.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence could be anywhere from D− to C.
About 17 minutes to work from Independence
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,553 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Kansas: 85% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Who commutes out of Independence, and who commutes in
On a workday 1,942 residents head out to work, 1,217 work right here, and 2,707 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.24 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
9% of working residents work in Independence Township
Where Independence clocks in
9% of workers
8% of workers
6% 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.
What the 3,924 jobs in Independence are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 3,687 → 3,924. 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Independence
About 25% 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.
In Independence, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Independence is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns, #75 of 151 in Kansas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.4% across Kansas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,697 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.7% of Independence households have no vehicle (Kansas 5.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Independence sits among U.S. towns of 5,700 to 11,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 202 | Tecumseh Township KS | 7,829 | $110K | 2.7% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 254 | Eudora Township KS | 7,870 | $119K | 4.6% | 2.3% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 360 | Eudora KS | 6,506 | $118K | 4.9% | 2.9% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,864 | Thermalito CA | 6,720 | $55K | 20.4% | 9.9% | 3% | D |
| 2,865 | Seaford DE | 9,165 | $54K | 18.8% | 13.1% | 15% | D |
| 2,866 | Independence KS | 8,193 | $51K | 18.4% | 7.0% | 39% | D |
| 2,867 | Anthony NM | 8,900 | $38K | 32.9% | 11.6% | 13% | D |
| 2,868 | Lafayette TN | 6,020 | $52K | 27.6% | 5.4% | 23% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 3,034 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Independence, the top three, the last and three more from Kansas.
Around Independence: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Independence Township (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | D | B | 17 min | $51,069 |
| Independence Township | 9% | B− | B− | 21 min | $76,306 |
| Sycamore Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Drum Creek Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sycamore Township: not graded. Drum Creek Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Independence’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
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?
$51,069 (±$4,874) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
18.4%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
17 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
39% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Independence Township (9%, 4 mi), Coffeyville (8%, 14 mi), Neodesha (6%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Independence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.