Households in Independence earn more than those in 98% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 1.1% of residents (Minnesota 9.3%). For jobs and income Independence is among the top U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (C). Working from home is the commute for 36% of workers (Minnesota 18%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Independence, in brief
Home offices are common in Independence
36% of Independence workers work from home, against 18% across Minnesota. Time on the road ↓
Independence’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Independence is Minneapolis, 22 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (222) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Independence makes and builds things
35% of the jobs based in Independence are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Independence residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 18%. The jobs ↓
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.
Why Independence gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Independence is among the top U.S. towns, #1 of 273 in Minnesota. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Independence’s grade. It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence stays A+.
The trip to work from Independence: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,160 commuters (the 36% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where in the region Independence works
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.
Making and building: 35% of jobs based in Independence
728 jobs are based in Independence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 638 → 728. 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 on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,622 residents head out to work, 62 work right here, and 666 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,800 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.43 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
13% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Independence clocks in
13% 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.
In Independence, most people drive to work
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Minnesota, on an EPA index of 5.4.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,814 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 5.6% of Independence households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,430 U.S. towns of 2,600 to 5,100, Independence comes 6th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 4 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| 5 | Taylor Lake Village TX | 3,774 | $166K | 0.0% | 0.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 6 | Independence MN | 3,763 | $187K | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| 7 | East Williston NY | 2,616 | $215K | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 8 | Lloyd Harbor NY | 3,587 | $250K | 2.1% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Deephaven MN | 3,794 | $198K | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Greenfield MN | 2,962 | $154K | 1.2% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Hanover MN | 4,392 | $157K | 0.6% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,430 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Minnesota.
Work in the towns next to Independence
The biggest share goes to Maple Plain (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | A+ | C | 25 min | $186,597 |
| Maple Plain | 4% | A | C+ | 24 min | $93,750 |
| Franklin Township | under 3% | A+ | C | 29 min | $112,171 |
| Minnetrista | under 3% | A | B− | 27 min | $163,051 |
| Greenfield | under 3% | A+ | C− | 33 min | $153,750 |
| Medina | under 3% | A | B− | 26 min | $230,859 |
Same-state neighbors only. 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?
$186,597 (±$40,595) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
1.1%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
25 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 36% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (13%, 22 mi), Plymouth (8%, 13 mi), Eden Prairie (6%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.4 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 6% 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.