Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,792.
Independence Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $114K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Kennett area’s $48K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 199th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 37% of working residents work locally in Independence Township, where Missouri’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 2 have a higher January low than Independence Township. The biggest park or preserve is Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area, at 493 acres.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Independence Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
Explore the history →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.
Independence Township has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Missouri, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Missouri (mostly earthquakes).
42% of Independence Township adults get no exercise outside work. Independence Township beats the Missouri average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 19% of Independence Township adults report frequent physical distress.
| Independence Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Independence Township | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.5% | 16.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.9% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Kennett 39 school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kennett High, with 493 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 420 | C+ |
| Kennett HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 493 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
63 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves.
| Independence Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area | — | 493 |
| 2. Little River Conservation Area | 0.1 mi | 459 |
| 3. Indian Field Baseball Park | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Missouri towns, with expected losses of about $983 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Blytheville weather station, 23 miles away, records that about 58 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 1,353 Missouri places with climate records.
Independence Township’s July high is 90°F. Independence Township has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Independence Township’s working residents works in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Independence Township. Jobs based in Independence Township fell to 3,998 in 2023, 819 fewer than in 2013.
| Independence Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Independence Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Independence Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Township in the U.S. state of Missouri
Independence Township is a township in Dunklin County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Independence Township was erected in 1845.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Independence Township.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | #199 | C− | A | — | C | D− |
| Salem Township | — | — | A | — | C− | D− |
| Clay Township | — | — | A+ | — | C | D− |
| Holcomb Township | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | D− |
| Freeborn Township | — | — | A+ | — | D | D− |
Salem Township, Clay Township, Holcomb Township and Freeborn Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Independence Township, Salem Township, Clay Township, Holcomb Township and Freeborn Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Independence Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Independence Township grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #199 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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.