IndependenceNY
A town of 1,076, settled in 1821.
Is Independence a good place to live?
Independence’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Independence has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,076 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Independence grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Independence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Independence: who provides what
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 Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Independence.
Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Independence is higher
91% of Independence’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Independence’s schools rank behind 76% of New York districts
Its one school is below. The Whitesville Central School District runs its public schools. Enrollment at Independence’s public school: 112 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitesville Central SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 112 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The climate in Independence brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 79° in July, and January nights bottom out around 13°; snowfall runs to about 61 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in three of Independence’s working residents commute to Wellsville
For working residents in Independence, the share who work locally is 2.6%. The mean commuting time for Independence comes to 29 minutes, above both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). This New York town had 299 jobs in 2023, up 174 from 2013. The median commute is under 18 miles.
| Independence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Residents of Independence are less healthy than 60% of U.S. towns
The town beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 39% of Independence adults have high blood pressure. The share of adults in Independence who smoke cigarettes is 16%, against 13% in New York’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns.
| Independence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Independence | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Crime reported in Independence
The level of property crime in Independence is 1.9 per 1,000 residents. Independence's reported crime rate is well below New York's. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2024.
| Independence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 9.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
0.7% of the land in Independence is protected from building
Independence’s density of trails comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile. 4.2 miles of trail.
| Independence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Independence
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Independence
About 7 of every 100 Independence residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
About Independence
Town in New York, United States
Independence is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,095 at the 2020 census. The town is in the southeast corner of Allegany County, southeast of the village of Wellsville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1821
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,165 ft
- Area code
- 607
Questions about Independence
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Independence, NY expensive?
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.
What is Independence, NY known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Mary Bassett Clarke and Jessie Snyder Phillips.