IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Independence, OR
Independence is a big small town of 10,199 people in Polk County, Oregon. It's about 10 miles from Salem, OR and 54 miles from Portland, OR, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 47°F, with about 6 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $379k and rent runs about $2k a month.
10,199people
$379kTypical home
$1,665/moRent
83° / 47°Summer / winter
6"Snow
191Sunny days
Is Independence right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Big small town of 10,199
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 3,394 people per sq mi
- 54 mi to Portland, OR
- 10 mi to Salem, OR
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $379k (≈$2,389/mo)
- Median rent $1,665/mo
- Median household income $85k
- Property tax about 1.0% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 47°F
- Comfortable summers (dew point 54°F)
- 191 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 174 cloudy days a year
- 66 of 90 winter days are gray
- 6" of snow a year
- 2 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 1 day a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (167 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,170 per 100k)
People
- Median age 31
- 33% of households have kids
- 11% are 65 or older
- 27% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 11% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 10 mi to SLE airport
- 58 mi to PDX (major hub)
- 122 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 61% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1999
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 167 ft
- 40 mi to the ocean
- 166 mi to a big lake
- 14 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 72 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 19 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 426 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 103 bars within 25 mi
- 160 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 27 museums within 25 mi
- 15 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 8 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 22% of Oregon districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 9 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 14 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 8 mi to the nearest vet
- Dog park in town
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 2 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: R+4 in 2024
- Oregon: D+14 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- High volcano risk