Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAt 1.5%, unemployment in Independence is lower than in 90% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Independence are A+ for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Measured by household income, Independence is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. About one in ten stay in Independence for work; outside it, Cleveland is the main destination (25%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Independence
Independence fills up on a workday
Independence has 24,144 jobs, 6.4 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 28,000 people are in town, 4 times the 7,500 who live here. Day and night ↓
Independence draws workers from far and wide
The 24,144 jobs in Independence are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 29%; the other 69% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Independence and Cleveland trade workers both ways
Cleveland is the top workplace for Independence residents (25%) and also where the most people who work in Independence come from (10% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Independence residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 8% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
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.
How Independence earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Independence is among the top U.S. towns, #11 of 992 in Ohio. 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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence could be anywhere from A to A+.
Independence on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,345 residents head out to work, 429 work right here, and 23,715 people come in from elsewhere.
About 28,000 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 273% more than live here.
6.4 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where Independence’s workforce comes from
Where Independence clocks in
25% 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.
Independence’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
24,144 jobs are based in Independence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 22,164 → 24,144. 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.
Commuting from Independence: about 23 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,260 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
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 49% of U.S. towns, #441 of 993 in Ohio. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.7% across Ohio.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,009 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 79% 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 2.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% 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). 2.2% of Independence households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 5,200 to 10,100, Independence ranks 49th of 3,125 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Madeira OH | 9,637 | $168K | 2.5% | 1.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 27 | The Village of Indian Hill OH | 6,114 | $235K | 3.1% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Pepper Pike OH | 6,886 | $228K | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Waukesha WI | 8,507 | $131K | 3.0% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| 48 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| 49 | Independence OH | 7,456 | $116K | 2.4% | 1.5% | 11% | A+ |
| 50 | Aledo TX | 7,122 | $163K | 2.8% | 1.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 51 | Bull Run VA | 7,823 | $242K | 4.3% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,125 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Ohio.
Work in the towns next to Independence
The biggest share goes to Brecksville (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | A+ | B− | 23 min | $115,733 |
| Valley View | 2% | A− | A− | 23 min | $110,125 |
| Cuyahoga Heights | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Seven Hills | under 2% | A | B− | 23 min | $97,222 |
| Brooklyn Heights | under 2% | A+ | B− | 17 min | $96,786 |
| Brecksville | 3% | A | B+ | 26 min | $135,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Cuyahoga Heights: 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?
$115,733 (±$10,857) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
2.4%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
23 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cleveland (25%, 7 mi), Parma (4%, 5 mi), Brecksville (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 9.6 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 2% 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.