Work & commute · Independence

Work & commute in Independence, IA

About one in 3 of Independence’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Waterloo (12%), Cedar Rapids (7%) and Cedar Falls (4%). Half commute less than 22 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

33%

965 of 2,904 working residents

Typical commute

22 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,939 Independence residents head out of town to work, 965 work right here, and 2,603 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Independence.

1,939live here, work elsewhere

965live and work here

2,603work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Independence goes to work

Independence (in town)right here

33%965

Waterloo23 mi away

12%358

Cedar Rapids36.3 mi away

7%197

Cedar Falls28.3 mi away

4%116

Oelwein14.5 mi away

4%104

Dubuque61 mi away

2%54

Manchester22.8 mi away

1%43

Jesup8.3 mi away

1%41

West Des Moines115.2 mi away

1%31

Des Moines107 mi away

1%29

Everywhere elseother towns and states

33%966

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Independence commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

41%

18%

22%

19%

41%Under 10 mi

18%10–24 mi

22%25–50 mi

19%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Independence is balanced between jobs and homes

1.23jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.23 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Independence are

3,568 jobs are based in Independence. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Independence’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Independence

3,568 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)35%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)46%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month54%

Jobs Independence residents hold

2,904 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)29%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)52%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month62%

+9%

Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 3,272 → 3,568. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.