Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 121,675, Independence does unevenly: it grades C−, 202nd among Missouri's 247 graded towns. The trade-offs: its crime rate is higher than 87% of U.S. towns, with 670 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. Independence’s property crime rate is 29.7 per 1,000 residents, where Missouri’s towns sit at 12.4 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Its National Register listings include Temple Site and Jackson County Courthouse. Independence is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns.
Where Independence beats most towns.
Truman, Harry S, Historic District is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,164 in 1860, 123,011 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1842 and 6 maps from 1934 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Independence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Independence. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaArrowhead Stadium
7 mi Stadium & arenaKauffman Stadium
9 mi Park & preserveSubTropolis
in town MuseumHarry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
10 mi Theme parkWorlds of Fun
12 mi Stadium & arenaCPKC StadiumArrowhead Stadium: Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kauffman Stadium: Mysteryman28, Public domain · SubTropolis: ErgoSum88, Public domain · Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum: Sallyrob at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Worlds of Fun: Tkexb173 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CPKC Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0
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 has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Reported crimes rose from 1,839 to 4,276 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Independence is 5.5 per 1,000 residents. Independence reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 87% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Independence 30 school district. Three of its 38 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Kinder Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 919 | B+ |
| Truman HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,720 | C− |
| Sunny Pointe Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 506 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
46 miles of trail in 51 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Little Blue Trace Nature Preserve, at 1,063 acres.
| Independence | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area | 4.8 mi | 280 |
| 2. George Owens Nature Park | 2.2 mi | 87 |
| 3. Independence Athletic Complex | 1.9 mi | 136 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Independence. Independence beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Independence.
| Independence | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Independence | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.5% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.9% | 13.7% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 15.6% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Independence has lost 3,893 jobs, to 35,922 in 2023. The top destinations are Kansas City (33%), Lee's Summit (7%) and Blue Springs (4%).
| Independence | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Independence has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 20° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 2.5 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $211K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Independence home is worth about $211,000, up 3.6% in a year, 21% below the Missouri typical home. 53% of Independence renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Independence | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 43% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,109 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
303 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 18 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 303 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Independence
About 4 of every 100 Independence residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Independence’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
26 places in Independence on the National Register of Historic Places.
51 notable people were born in Independence.
City in Missouri, United States
Independence is a city mostly in, and one of two county seats of, Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, it had a total population of 123,011, making it the fifth-most populous city in Missouri. A small part of the city extends into Clay County. Independence is known as the "Queen City of the Trails" because it was a point of departure for the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. It is the hometown of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, and houses the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the gravesites of Truman and First Lady Bess T…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Independence.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Kansas City (C−) is closest. Lee's Summit next door grades higher for schools (A to Independence’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C− to B+).
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | #202 | C− | B+ | D | C+ | C− |
| Blue Springs | #84 | B | B− | C | A | B |
| Kansas City | #200 | C− | C+ | D− | C+ | C+ |
| Sugar Creek | #184 | C− | A | D | C+ | D |
| Lee's Summit | #81 | B | C− | C | A | A− |
| Blue Summit | — | — | A+ | — | C | D− |
Blue Summit has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Blue Summit reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Independence with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Independence grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #202 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($83,460 across the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area).
51 notable people were born here, including Ginger Rogers and Bess Truman.
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