Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Independence grades D overall, 97th among Oregon's 142 graded towns, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 79% of Oregon towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 68% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Independence Historic District. Homes are expensive, about $421K for a typical one and 5.3 times the Salem metro’s $79K median household income. Among 142 Oregon towns, just 4 have a lower median age than Independence.
Where Independence beats most towns.
Census counts: 425 in 1860, 9,828 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), 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.
21 mi Stadium & arenaReser Stadium
24 mi MuseumEvergreen Aviation & Space Museum
9 mi Theme parkEnchanted Forest
29 mi State parkSilver Falls State Park
17 mi MuseumOregon Electric Railway Museum10 mi MuseumHallie Ford Museum of Art30K visitors a yearReser Stadium: Zapper258, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: Notkeel at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Enchanted Forest: Trashbag (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silver Falls State Park: Kelvin Kay -- Kkmd at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oregon Electric Railway Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Independence.
Its public schools are run by Central SD 13J. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Central High School, with 1,008 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talmadge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 716 | – |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,008 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 1,771 in 2013 to 2,388.
Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Independence has added 617 jobs, to 2,388 in 2023. 13% of Independence residents live below the poverty line, close to Oregon’s towns (11%) and above U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Independence | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (19% statewide). Independence has grown 3.6% since 2020, to 10,195 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across Oregon.
| Independence | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Independence | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.8% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.5% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.4% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Independence has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 36° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At $1,665 a month, Independence’s median rent is above both the Oregon town median ($1,413 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 55% of Independence households own their home. The typical Independence home is worth about $421,000, up 1.8% in a year, 14% below the Oregon typical home.
| Independence | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,665 a month | $1,413 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Independence beats the Oregon average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 29% of adults have high blood pressure in Independence.
| Independence | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Independence | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.7% | 6.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Within Oregon, it does better than 75% of towns.
| Independence | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Riverview City Park, at 35 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverview City Park | — | 35 |
| 2. Pfaff Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4 within 15 miles of the center of Independence
About 10 of every 100 Independence residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
8,590 counted in 2010 and 9,828 in 2020; an estimated 10,195 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 places in Independence on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Oregon, United States
Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty square blocks of the oldest part of Independence form the National Register of Historic Places-listed Independence Historic District. The population was 9,828 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Independence.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | #97 | D | D | B− | C− | B− |
| Monmouth | #76 | C | C− | B− | C− | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Independence grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #97 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Oregon, it does better than 75% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
2 notable people were born here, including Marlon Tuipulotu and Wade Hampton Pipes.
