Independence has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Independence grades C− for jobs and income and C for walkability. There are 289 jobs in Independence, and 714 of its residents work somewhere. Home is the office for 1% of workers, against 13% across Wisconsin.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Independence apart
One in three of Independence works in Whitehall
240 working residents, 34%, have their main job in Whitehall, 5.4 miles away across the town line. That’s 7 times as many as work in Independence itself. The commute map ↓
Few Independence workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 13% across Wisconsin. 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 714 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jobs & income in Independence: the grade in detail
On income, poverty and job access, Independence is better than 22% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Independence’s grade up (10.4%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 20% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (3.8%) 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−.
34% of working residents work in Whitehall
Where Independence clocks in
4% 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.
About 22 minutes each way, about the WI average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 624 commuters (the 1% who work from home are left out). Across Wisconsin: 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.
Independence by day and by night
On a workday 680 residents head out to work, 34 work right here, and 255 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Independence on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in Independence: what the 289 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 310 → 289. 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.
How many miles Independence commutes
About 22% 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.
Getting around Independence: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Independence is more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.8% across Wisconsin.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 633 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.2% of Independence households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Independence’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Independence ranks: 4,221st of 6,308 U.S. towns of 1,000 to 2,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Nashotah WI | 1,298 | $148K | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Maple Bluff WI | 1,305 | $199K | 3.0% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Wind Point WI | 1,620 | $143K | 0.4% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,219 | Monongahela Township PA | 1,415 | $70K | 12.9% | 1.7% | 4% | C− |
| 4,220 | Renville MN | 1,268 | $69K | 13.1% | 5.3% | 13% | C− |
| 4,221 | Independence WI | 1,487 | $58K | 10.4% | 3.8% | 5% | C− |
| 4,222 | Lynn Township MI | 1,113 | $73K | 12.8% | 4.6% | <1% | C− |
| 4,223 | Camden Township MO | 1,626 | $65K | 11.7% | 1.0% | 17% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 6,308 | 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 Wisconsin.
35% of Independence works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Whitehall (34%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | – | C− | C | 22 min | $58,000 |
| Arcadia | under 2% | B | B− | 18 min | $79,762 |
| Burnside | 1% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Lincoln | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Whitehall | 34% | B− | C+ | 22 min | $61,875 |
Same-state neighbors only. Burnside: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Lincoln: the same community as the town of that name, graded once. 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?
$58,000 (±$19,816) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence?
10.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence?
22 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Whitehall (34%, 5 mi), Arcadia (12%, 6 mi), La Crosse (4%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Independence walkable?
Independence is more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 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 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
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.