Households in Independence have lower incomes than those in 60% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Independence are C for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Below the poverty line: 6.3% of residents, against 14.0% across New York. 1% of workers have no commute at all, where New York as a whole has 15%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Independence at work: what stands out
Independence and Wellsville trade workers both ways
Wellsville is the top workplace for Independence residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Independence come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
33% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Few Independence workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
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; with 349 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Why Independence gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty and job access, Independence is better than 34% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Independence’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 4% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (2.7%) is left out: Independence’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Independence could be anywhere from D to B.
33% of working residents work in Wellsville
Where Independence clocks in
33% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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.
Miles to work from Independence
About 33% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Commuting from Independence: about 29 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 386 commuters (the 1% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily flow of workers through Independence
On a workday 340 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 290 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.86 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
299 jobs are based in Independence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 125 → 299. 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.
Most trips from Independence start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Independence is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Independence near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 391 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). 3.8% of Independence households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Independence is 1,936th among 3,771 U.S. towns of 800 to 1,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 4 | Saddle Rock NY | 1,008 | $176K | 0.8% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,934 | Andrews IN | 1,062 | $50K | 7.8% | 6.7% | 2% | C |
| 1,935 | Matteson Township MI | 1,195 | $70K | 9.8% | 4.3% | 1% | C |
| 1,936 | Independence NY | 1,076 | $69K | 6.3% | 2.7% | 3% | C |
| 1,937 | Algodones NM | 1,479 | $68K | 18.1% | 7.2% | 5% | C |
| 1,938 | Rogersville AL | 1,434 | $66K | 9.4% | 1.4% | 8% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,771 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 New York.
Work next door: 35% of Independence’s workers
The biggest share goes to Wellsville (33%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | C | C− | 29 min | $68,750 |
| Willing | under 3% | C+ | C− | 23 min | $68,778 |
| Andover | 2% | C− | B− | 24 min | $64,688 |
| Wellsville | 33% | C− | B− | 16 min | $63,227 |
| West Union | under 3% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Greenwood | under 3% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. West Union and Greenwood: 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?
$68,750 (±$15,451) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
6.3%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
29 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wellsville (33%, 8 mi), Alfred (4%, 13 mi), Amherst (3%, 83 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 4.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Independence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% 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.