Work & commute · Independence

Work & commute in Independence, MO

Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 16% work in town. The top destinations are Kansas City (33%), Lee's Summit (7%) and Blue Springs (4%). Half commute less than 11 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

16%

8,526 of 52,882 working residents

Typical commute

11 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

24 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

12%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 44,356 Independence residents head out of town to work, 8,526 work right here, and 27,396 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Independence.

44,356live here, work elsewhere

8,526live and work here

27,396work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Independence goes to work

Kansas City11 mi away

33%17,651

Independence (in town)right here

16%8,526

Lee's Summit11.5 mi away

7%3,618

Blue Springs6.8 mi away

4%2,241

Kansas City, KS21.1 mi away

4%2,093

Overland Park, KS22.7 mi away

3%1,454

North Kansas City12 mi away

2%1,291

Liberty11.4 mi away

2%1,155

Raytown8.6 mi away

2%806

Claycomo10.4 mi away

1%793

Everywhere elseother towns and states

25%13,254

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.

46%

40%

11%

46%Under 10 mi

40%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

11%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Independence is a commuter town

0.68jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.68 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Independence are

35,922 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

35,922 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities28%

Services (health, schools, offices…)62%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month48%

Jobs Independence residents hold

52,882 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities25%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month56%

−10%

Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 39,815 → 35,922. 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.