Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$172,900
Kansas City $287,300
Median rent$1,109/mo
Kansas City $1,249/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Kansas City 28%
Independence
Jackson County121,740 residents3 school districts
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
22nd of 25 Kansas City suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
50
Kansas City median 65
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Independence yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 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 Kansas City. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Within-state proficiency41st pct
Kansas City median 83rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.9
Kansas City median 14.1
Graduation rate94%
Kansas City median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index80
Kansas City 100
Eff. tax rate1.08%
Kansas City 1.09%
Local sales tax8.44%
Kansas City median 8.44%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 58/100
C
Mean commute23.9 min
Kansas City 23.2 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Kansas City 70%
Transit stops / sq mi0.2
Kansas City median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 38/100
D−
Restaurants & cafés13
Kansas City median 27 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Kansas City median 3 · within 2 miles
Parks21
Kansas City median 32 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median household income$60,339
Kansas City $83,460
Unemployment5.6%
Kansas City 4.0%
Professional occupations32%
Kansas City 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Independence on housing & affordability
Independence's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Leawood19 mi from IndependenceA 76 B Prairie Village17 mi from IndependenceB− 75 B Shawnee25 mi from IndependenceC+ 69 B− Raymore20 mi from IndependenceC+ 62 C Overland Park23 mi from IndependenceC+ 75 B Lee's Summit11 mi from IndependenceC 69 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Independence
Is Independence, MO a good place to live?
Independence scores 50 out of 100, 22nd of 25 Kansas City suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. 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 $172,900, 40% below the Kansas City median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.08%. $1,109/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Independence?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Independence sit at the 41st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 14.9 student–teacher ratio. Independence is served by Independence 30, Fort Osage R-I and Blue Springs R-IV. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Independence?
The mean commute is 23.9 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 12% working from home. Transit density is 0.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Independence?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 13 restaurants and cafés and 21 parks, which grades D− on amenities.
Are the homes in Independence old or new?
The median home in Independence was built in 1967 — older than the Kansas City median of 1980. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 76% 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.