Photo: W.marsh · CC BY-SA 3.0With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Independence works elsewhere
Employers in Independence report 4,863 jobs for 14,582 working residents. The two grades for Independence are B+ for jobs and income and C for walkability. Measured by household income, Independence is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Independence apart
A lot of Independence workers cross into Ohio
20% of Independence workers work outside Kentucky, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Cincinnati (11%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Independence’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 27 minutes, longer than the Kentucky average of 24. Time on the road ↓
Independence has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Independence went from 3,094 in 2013 to 4,863 in 2023, +57%. The jobs ↓
Independence makes and builds things
38% of the jobs based in Independence are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Independence residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 16%. The jobs ↓
Independence empties out on a workday
About 20,000 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than the 30,000 who live here: 14,000 head out to work and 4,300 come in. Day and night ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: Independence’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Independence is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #32 of 142 in Kentucky. Household income holds Independence’s grade up ($102,361, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence could be anywhere from B to A.
11% of working residents work in Cincinnati
Where Independence clocks in
11% of workers
9% of workers
7% 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.
About 27 minutes to work from Independence
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 10% across Kentucky. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,061 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Kentucky: 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.
Independence makes things: 38% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 3,094 → 4,863. 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.
Independence quiets down on a workday
On a workday 14,006 residents head out to work, 576 work right here, and 4,287 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Short hops and long hauls from Independence
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, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Independence is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns, #111 of 142 in Kentucky. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.1% across Kentucky.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 15,116 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 26% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 56% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.2% of Independence households have no vehicle (Kentucky 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
622nd of 1,415: where Independence ranks among U.S. towns of 21,000 to 41,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 434 | Jeffersontown KY | 29,193 | $82K | 6.5% | 2.8% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 620 | North Augusta SC | 26,982 | $86K | 6.6% | 3.8% | 9% | B+ |
| 621 | Fountain Hills AZ | 23,625 | $113K | 6.2% | 5.3% | 14% | B+ |
| 622 | Independence KY | 30,198 | $102K | 8.8% | 4.3% | 4% | B+ |
| 623 | Liberty MO | 31,319 | $89K | 7.0% | 4.5% | 18% | B+ |
| 624 | Milford MA | 30,832 | $96K | 7.6% | 5.0% | 16% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 700 | Florence KY | 34,018 | $71K | 9.5% | 3.1% | 17% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 858 | Georgetown KY | 40,883 | $80K | 12.1% | 4.2% | 29% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,415 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Kentucky.
The towns next door employ 10% of Independence
The biggest share goes to Covington (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | B+ | C | 27 min | $102,361 |
| Erlanger | 3% | B | B | 21 min | $75,840 |
| Ryland Heights | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Covington | 7% | C+ | A | 22 min | $61,166 |
| Elsmere | under 2% | C+ | C+ | 18 min | $60,503 |
Same-state neighbors only. Ryland Heights: 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?
$102,361 (±$8,284) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,726 across Kentucky and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
8.8%, against 16.1% across Kentucky and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
27 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Kentucky and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cincinnati (11%, 13 mi), Florence (9%, 6 mi), Covington (7%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Independence without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
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.