Best PlacesIndependence, UT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Independence, 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 ranks 2,961st of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Independence
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's strengths and weaknesses
Where Independence ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of towns
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of towns
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of towns
Where Independence ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than only 12% of towns
- BikingBetter than only 15% of towns
- Local economyBetter than only 23% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 25% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Independence
A household needs to earn about $329,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Independence home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $90,417, so buying stretches a typical household.
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's effective rate of 0.46%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Independence
Independence's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Independence.
Who works in Independence, and how
Work in Independence centers on public administration and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Independence
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Independence.
What the weather is like in Independence, month by month
Independence sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 24° | 15° |
| April | 61° | 44° | 29° |
| July | 93° | 71° | 50° |
| October | 64° | 44° | 30° |
Flying in and out of Independence
The nearest airport, Provo Municipal, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 40 miles away.
The best schools in and around Independence
Schools across Independence average a B+, better than 77% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Old Mill SchoolA · 72% proficient
- Daniels Canyon SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Timpanogos Middle SchoolB+ · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Wasatch HighB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Independence school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Independence 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 against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Independence
Is Independence a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Independence ranks 2,961st of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on population health, heat safety, and an educated workforce, and lowest on an overheated housing market and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Independence expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,319,294. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $90,417 median income, cost of living beats 71% of towns.
Is Independence safe?
Yes, Independence is safer than 97% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $174 per resident a year.
Compare Independence with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Independence. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Independence 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 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Independence: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Independence: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Independence: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Independence: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Independence 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.