A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Pratt$880/mo

Typical home $130K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.78% · or rent about $798/mo · Housing →

Independence$820/mo

Typical home $121K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.83% · or rent about $789/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Pratt and Independence.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Pratt places higher on 11 of 20 KS lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Kansas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

C+PrattBetter than 38% of districts in the state B−IndependenceBetter than 49% of districts in the state

Health

B−PrattHealthier than 50% of U.S. towns C+IndependenceHealthier than 39% of U.S. towns

11Pratt

8Independence

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 160 towns #27#151 Most walkableOutdoors · 160 towns #82#29 Highest graduation rateSchools · 127 towns #118#80 Highest incomeIncome · 160 towns #104#146 Fewest smokersHealth · 159 towns #72#112 Lowest depressionHealth · 159 towns #34#72 Shortest commuteGetting around · 160 towns #7#43 Most educatedPeople · 160 towns #115#86

Left end = #1 in Kansas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Pratt’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

PrattIndependence

Snow a year15″7″

January low19°F 23°F

July high92°F 91°F

Growing season (days)183d 208d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd 80th

Outdoors & history

PrattIndependence

Trails2 mi 0 mi

Conserved land3.1%2.9%

Settled1884 1869

National Register places4 14

Archive photos—18

Community

PrattIndependence

Library hours a week43 hrs 98 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

170 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PrattKS IndependenceKS

Pratt ↔ Independence170 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Kansas average

PrattIndependence

People

Population 6,577Lowest 8,422Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.4%Highest KS: +3% -9.9%Lowest KS: +3%

Median age 36.7±3.3Lowest about the KS average 38.3±3.3Highest about the KS average

Independence and Pratt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 23.3%±3.8Lowest KS: 23.8% 24.3%±3.4Highest KS: 23.8%

Independence and Pratt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 19.4%±2.8Highest KS: 17% 18.9%±2.9Lowest KS: 17%

Pratt and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.8%Lowest KS: 35.6% 28.7%Highest KS: 35.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.2%±1.6Highest KS: 6.6% 4.1%±1.7Lowest KS: 6.6%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $63,819±$9kHighest 14% below KS $51,069±$5kLowest 31% below KS

Pratt and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $107,500±$10kHighest 51% below KS $88,800±$16kLowest 59% below KS

Pratt and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $798±$53Highest 25% below KS $789±$59Lowest 26% below KS

Pratt and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,912Highest 32% below KS $1,626Lowest 42% below KS

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.6%±11.9 KS: 43.5% 46.6%±10.6 KS: 43.5%

Below poverty line 14.3%Lowest KS: 11.3% 18.4%Highest KS: 11.3%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 69.7%Highest KS: 67.2% 69.6%Lowest KS: 67.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1954 22 yrs older than KS 1954 22 yrs older than KS

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 11 minLowest 46% below KS 17 minHighest 14% below KS

Work from home 5.3%±2.6Highest KS: 11.8% 3.9%±1.9Lowest KS: 11.8%

Pratt and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 48.4%Highest 38.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 miLowest 9.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.11Lowest 1.24Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Wichita (9%)Independence Township (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IndependenceFew work in Pratt

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.1%Highest 2.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 4Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.2Lowest 87.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #47 of 124 in KS #61 of 124 in KS

School district PrattIndependence

High school in town Pratt Sr HighIndependence Sr High

Students per teacherat that high school 12.1Lowest 13.3Highest

Kansas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Pratt neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pratt’s Town Square.

Independence neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Independence’s Town Square.

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Bordering Pratt

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Pratt vs Independence

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Pratt places higher on 11 of 20 KS lists

What daily life feels like in each

170 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Pratt and Independence

Bordering Pratt

Towns like Pratt

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