Work & commute · Independence

Work & commute in Independence, VA

Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 17% work in town. The top destinations are Galax (11%), Wytheville (5%) and Sparta (3%). Half commute less than 23 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

17%

55 of 317 working residents

Typical commute

23 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 262 Independence residents head out of town to work, 55 work right here, and 1,652 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Independence.

262live here, work elsewhere

55live and work here

1,652work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Independence goes to work

Independence (in town)right here

17%55

Galax13.3 mi away

11%36

Wytheville22.8 mi away

5%16

Sparta, NC8.8 mi away

3%9

Roanoke79.7 mi away

3%8

Marion24.9 mi away

2%6

Hillsville24.7 mi away

2%6

Christiansburg54.3 mi away

2%5

Rural Retreat20.5 mi away

1%4

Bristol55.9 mi away

1%4

Everywhere elseother towns and states

53%168

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.

28%

27%

11%

34%

28%Under 10 mi

27%10–24 mi

11%25–50 mi

34%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Independence is a job hub

5.38jobs per working resident

A job hub

5.4 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Independence are

1,707 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

1,707 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities7%

Services (health, schools, offices…)78%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month44%

Over $3,333 a month36%

Jobs Independence residents hold

317 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)62%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month40%

Over $3,333 a month44%

+47%

Jobs based in Independence, 2013 → 2023: 1,164 → 1,707. 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.