Work & commute · Independence

Work & commute in Independence, OR

Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are Salem (25%), Portland (7%) and Monmouth (6%). Half commute less than 12 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

12%

464 of 4,026 working residents

Typical commute

12 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

25 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

13%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 3,562 Independence residents head out of town to work, 464 work right here, and 1,924 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Independence.

3,562live here, work elsewhere

464live and work here

1,924work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Independence goes to work

Salem9.7 mi away

25%1,001

Independence (in town)right here

12%464

Portland54 mi away

7%288

Monmouth1.6 mi away

6%243

Corvallis20.3 mi away

4%180

Dallas7.2 mi away

4%143

Albany16.7 mi away

3%129

McMinnville24.4 mi away

2%83

Keizer13.1 mi away

2%76

Hillsboro47.9 mi away

2%73

Everywhere elseother towns and states

33%1,346

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.

36%

35%

15%

14%

36%Under 10 mi

35%10–24 mi

15%25–50 mi

14%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Independence is a commuter town

0.59jobs per working resident

A commuter town

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Independence are

2,388 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

2,388 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)29%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)54%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month39%

Over $3,333 a month45%

Jobs Independence residents hold

4,026 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)20%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)63%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month59%

+35%

Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 1,771 → 2,388. 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.