IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Independence, IA
Independence is a big small town of 6,164 people in Buchanan County, Iowa. It's about 23 miles from Waterloo, IA and 186 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 34 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $165k and rent runs about $820 a month.
6,164people
$165kTypical home
$820/moRent
83° / 26°Summer / winter
34"Snow
228Sunny days
105Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 6,164
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,023 people per sq mi
- 186 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 23 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $165k (≈$1,042/mo)
- Median rent $820/mo
- Median household income $74k
- Property tax about 1.6% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 228 sunny days a year (80 totally clear)
- 137 cloudy days a year
- 44 of 90 winter days are gray
- 105 days a year with rain or snow
- 34" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 42 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (136 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (798 per 100k)
People
- Median age 41
- 28% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 25% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 1% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 22 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 26 mi to ALO airport
- 111 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 103 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 76% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1971
- 87% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 922 ft
- 784 mi to the ocean
- 138 mi to a big lake
- 30 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 55 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 20 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 68 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 25 bars within 25 mi
- 15 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 3 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 23 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 47% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 21 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 24 mi to the nearest dog park
- 9 congregations per 10k people
- 23 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Buchanan County: R+28 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk