City · Buchanan County, Iowa

Independence, Iowa

Independence is a city in Buchanan County, Iowa. It has 6,164 residents. Independence, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,136 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #147 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), child care cost burden (low) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and new business applications (low).

80High

Quality-of-life score: #3,136 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #147 of 281 in IA
Population: 6,164 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,022.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 1938100

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety86#2,143/15,637
Economy71#4,554/15,631
Housing94#938/14,977
Health73#4,217/15,609
Healthcare47#8,335/15,650
Environment70#4,617/15,453
Education51#7,622/15,649
Infrastructure49#7,962/15,650
Community84#2,504/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,678/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Independence, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Buchanan County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low90 min
98/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBuchanan County value
Child care cost burden · low19.4%
96/100Iowa 22.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuchanan County value
Rent-burdened households · low36.0%
96/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Public libraries · high2.9 /10k
95/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBuchanan County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBuchanan County value
Drug overdose deaths · low7.3 /100k
92/100Iowa 9.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataBuchanan County value

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Iowa 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyBuchanan County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high98 mi
10/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBuchanan County value
New business applications · low8.5 /1k
10/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauBuchanan County value
Pharmacies · low1.0 /10k
12/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBuchanan County value
Dentists · low34 /100k
15/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuchanan County value
Average weekly wage · low$1,001
18/100Iowa $1,221United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBuchanan County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
43.9% (2015-2019) → 36.0% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
1.6 /1k (2021) → 2.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+38%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.8% (2015-2019) → 87.2% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$54,097 (2015-2019) → $73,806 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
14.0% (2015-2019) → 6.7% (2020-2024)
−7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
9.9% (2015-2019) → 7.6% (2020-2024)
−2.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Independence, Iowa improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+36%$54,097 → $73,806
Broadband+7.5 points79.8% → 87.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Independence, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.6 min2015-2019	20.3 min2020-2024	−2.3 min	Within the margin of error	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.6%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Broadband subscriptions	79.8%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Improved	46%
Effective property tax rate	1.83%2015-2019	1.50%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	78%
High school diploma or higher	95.6%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	87%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4152015-2019	0.4012020-2024	−0.014	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$54,0972015-2019	$73,8062020-2024	+36%	Improved	68%
Poverty rate	9.9%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	26.0%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Rent-burdened households	43.9%2015-2019	36.0%2020-2024	−7.9 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.7%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	42%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Independence, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Independence, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Independence, Iowa itself moved +6.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,164 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,753 households (±147)

Independence, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k17%477
$25k–50k17%478
$50k–75k16%443

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,753 households (±147)

Independence, Iowa
Iowa share

Own72%1,987
Rent28%766

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,356 workers (±209)

Independence, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone81%2,729
Carpool9.0%†302
Public transit0.7%†22

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Buchanan County, the county holding most of Independence's residents.

Buchanan County has 490 employer establishments, 236 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Iowa's), with 5,387 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,985. The Census Bureau also counts 1,592 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 490; 1,592 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 236; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 5,387
Average annual pay: $46,985; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Buchanan County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	48	23.2	1.50×More than typical	148	$73,622	134
Truck transportation	34	16.4	3.24×More than typical	198	$48,485	70
Ambulatory health care services	24	11.6	0.56×Fewer than typical	107	$48,551	32
Restaurants and other eating places	23	11.1	0.60×Fewer than typical	306	$15,415	6
Construction of buildings	22	10.6	1.40×More than typical	169	$53,994	144
Religious organizations	18	8.7	1.57×More than typical	131	$20,183	—
Offices of other health practitioners	16	7.7	1.27×More than typical	66	$38,606	12
Building equipment contractors	15	7.2	1.20×About typical	49	$43,939	14
Banks and credit unions	14	6.8	2.09×More than typical	136	$71,096	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	14	6.8	2.14×More than typical	31	$130,806	28
Gasoline stations	13	6.3	1.93×More than typical	185	$28,946	—
Full-service restaurants	12	5.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	125	$14,952	—

Rank places for an industry Open Buchanan County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,725 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $104 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Independence, Iowa: $0.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $104
Per resident: $0.02; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$104100%

Top recipients

BLOOM MANUFACTURING, LLC$104100%

Spending by fiscal year

467.5FY2017
104.1FY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$104100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$104100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Independence, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Independence, Iowa's figures are part of those of Buchanan County, IA ($2,511 in FY2026), never added to them: 4.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Independence is mostly in Buchanan County.

See federal money in Buchanan County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Independence, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ashley HinsonR-IA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Buchanan County90100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Buchanan County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1938100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends