Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median home value$263,700
Cincinnati $258,600
Median rent$1,250/mo
Cincinnati $1,105/mo
Cost-burdened households20%
Cincinnati 27%
Independence
Kenton County29,392 residentsKenton County
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
14th of 39 Cincinnati suburbs. Strong on schools and cost of living, held back by amenities.
64
Cincinnati median 59
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Independence yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Independence is like to live in, by category
Bars show Independence against Cincinnati. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 77/100
B
Within-state proficiency89th pct
Cincinnati median 56th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.6
Cincinnati median 17.3
Graduation rate95%
Cincinnati median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index102
Cincinnati 100
Eff. tax rate0.91%
Cincinnati 1.23%
Local sales tax6.00%
Cincinnati median 7.29%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 51/100
D+
Mean commute27.2 min
Cincinnati 24.7 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Cincinnati 65%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Cincinnati median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 47/100
D
Restaurants & cafés12
Cincinnati median 36 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Cincinnati median 3 · within 2 miles
Parks33
Cincinnati median 40 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$102,361
Cincinnati $81,120
Unemployment4.3%
Cincinnati 4.4%
Professional occupations42%
Cincinnati 44%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Independence yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Independence on amenities
Independence's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Cincinnati13 mi from IndependenceA 54 C− Newport9 mi from IndependenceA 61 C Norwood15 mi from IndependenceB+ 60 C Florence6 mi from IndependenceB 68 B− Forestville14 mi from IndependenceB 66 C+ Montgomery23 mi from IndependenceB 73 B Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Independence
Is Independence, KY a good place to live?
Independence scores 64 out of 100, 14th of 39 Cincinnati suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Independence expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $263,700, 2% above the Cincinnati median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.91%. $1,250/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Independence?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Independence sit at the 89th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 17.6 student–teacher ratio. Independence is served by Kenton County. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Independence?
The mean commute is 27.2 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Independence?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 12 restaurants and cafés and 33 parks, which grades D on amenities.
Are the homes in Independence old or new?
The median home in Independence was built in 1999 — newer than the Cincinnati median of 1976. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 88% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.