Independence ranks #9 in Kansas for affordability
Independence is ranked on 35 lists against the 158 Kansas towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
Longer growing season than 96% of Kansas
Not better or worse, just Independence’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Independence does best on
Each list ranks every KS town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Independence marked.
Independence lands in the top half on 8 of 21 lists
Each dot is Independence’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in KS, the right end is last. Areas where Independence does best come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for walkable streets
Lists where Independence sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every KS list, and where Independence lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Oaklawn-Sunview · 0.7 yrs
#9
Cheapest rent#1 Prospect · $538/mo
#38
Lowest property tax#1 Oaklawn-Sunview · $701/yr
#20
Rent easiest to afford#1 Dodge City · 27.6%
#29 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Norton · 7.4 min
#43 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Winfield · 34.9%
#56
Most trails#1 Iola · 2.4 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Roeland Park · 169 / sq mi
#29 Health
Healthiest#1 Fairway · 98 / 100
#109
F
Lowest obesity#1 Fort Riley · 25%
#83
Fewest smokers#1 Mission Hills · 7%
#110
Most active#1 Fairway · 15%
#90
Fewest uninsured#1 Mission Hills · 4%
#93
Lowest depression#1 Leawood · 17%
#72
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winfield · 0.2 mi
#149 People
Most educated#1 Mission Hills · 87.3%
#84
Youngest#1 Sherlock · 22.5
#83
M
Oldest#1 Monmouth · 54.0
#73
Most residents 65+#1 Minneha · 29.6%
#48
Most kids#1 Sherlock · 45.8%
#80 
Housing
L Vacation-home towns#1 Lincoln · 11.7% #88
Most new homes#1 Maize · 31.5 per 1,000
#89
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Garnett · +85.9%
#63
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Edwardsville · 15.1 per home
Climate
Snowiest#1 Goodland · 30 in
#140
Least snow#1 El Dorado · 4.5 in
#15
Mildest winters#1 Garden · 25.5°
#8
Hottest summers#1 Ulysses · 93.7°
#74
Coolest summers#1 Hiawatha · 87.7°
#78
Longest growing season#1 Kansas City · 211 days
#8
Wettest#1 Frontenac · 46 in
#12 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Girard · 20.0 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Hesston · 20.9 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Hesston · 40.7 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Ulysses · 5.6
The number on the right is Independence’s spot. All of Kansas’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every KS list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.