Best PlacesIndependence Plaza, Kansas City, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Independence Plaza, Kansas City, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Independence Plaza, Kansas City ranks 5,545th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Independence Plaza, Kansas City
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Independence Plaza, Kansas City's strengths and weaknesses
Where Independence Plaza, Kansas City ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.5 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$840 a month, better than 84% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Independence Plaza, Kansas City ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- School gradeF, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Independence Plaza, Kansas City
A household needs to earn about $43,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Independence Plaza, Kansas City home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,016, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Independence Plaza, Kansas City's effective rate of 0.83%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Independence Plaza, Kansas City
Independence Plaza, Kansas City's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Independence Plaza, Kansas City.
Who works in Independence Plaza, Kansas City, and how
Work in Independence Plaza, Kansas City centers on transportation & warehousing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in Independence Plaza, Kansas City
Independence Plaza, Kansas City has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Independence Plaza, Kansas City and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Independence Plaza, Kansas City, month by month
Independence Plaza, Kansas City sees roughly 108 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 69° | 57° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Independence Plaza, Kansas City
Kansas City International sits about 16 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.7 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Independence Plaza, Kansas City
Schools across Independence Plaza, Kansas City average an F, better than 4% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ac Prep ElementaryD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northeast Middle SchoolF · 6% proficient
- Central Middle SchoolF · 4% proficient
Top high schools
- Southeast High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Independence Plaza, Kansas City school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Independence Plaza, Kansas City measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Independence Plaza, Kansas City against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Independence Plaza, Kansas City
Is Independence Plaza, Kansas City a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Independence Plaza, Kansas City ranks 5,545th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, short commutes, and fast internet, and lowest on crime and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Independence Plaza, Kansas City expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $164,394. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $48,016 median income, cost of living beats 24% of neighborhoods.
Is Independence Plaza, Kansas City safe?
Independence Plaza, Kansas City is safer than 2% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,858 per resident a year.
Compare Independence Plaza, Kansas City with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Independence Plaza, Kansas City. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Independence Plaza, Kansas City represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Independence Plaza, Kansas City detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Independence Plaza, Kansas City: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Independence Plaza, Kansas City: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Independence Plaza, Kansas City: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Independence Plaza, Kansas City: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Independence Plaza, Kansas City detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.