Independence, Missouri is home to about 121,944 residents. Median household income is $59,480 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning health science-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $124,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Health Science Schools to Independence
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer health science programs near Independence, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Independence city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Independence.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,537
Avg net price
$6,810/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,403
Avg net price
$20,268/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 19
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,199
Avg net price
$24,314/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 4
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,620
Avg net price
$12,007/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,455
Avg net price
$6,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,422
Avg net price
$5,837/yr
TuitionIn‑state$3,048
Out‑of‑state$6,096
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,325
Avg net price
$8,440/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$86,182
Avg net price
$21,786/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Missouri schools on the Missouri health science page.
Health Science Wages Near Independence
Independence is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Medical and Health Services Manager | $124,990 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $135,124 |
| Health Education Specialist | $62,990 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $68,097 |
| Health Information Technologist | $54,510 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $58,930 |
| Health Technologist and Technician | $48,720 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $52,670 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Independence at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 121,944 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $59,480 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 20.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 92.5 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Independence-Area Cities With Health Science Programs
- Blue Springs, MO – 6.6 mi away (54,431 pop)
- Raytown, MO – 8.8 mi away (29,261 pop)
- Liberty, MO – 11.1 mi away (30,614 pop)
- Kansas City, MO – 11.2 mi away (1,590,762 pop)
- Lees Summit, MO – 11.9 mi away (89,467 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the highest-paying health science roles near Independence?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying health science-related roles near Independence are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($124,990), Health Education Specialist ($62,990), Health Information Technologist ($54,510). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Blue Springs instead of Independence?
Blue Springs, MO is 6.6 miles from Independence and has its own set of local health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Independence an affordable place to study health science?
Independence’s median household income of $59,480 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Independence while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Health Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Independence
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Independence:
- Medical Billing and Coding programs in Independence, MO
- Medical Assistant programs in Independence, MO
- Pharmacy Technician programs in Independence, MO
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Independence, MO
- Entrepreneurship programs in Independence, MO
- Interior Design programs in Independence, MO
- Photography programs in Independence, MO
- Sustainability Management programs in Independence, MO
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Independence, MO
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Independence, MO
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Independence, MO
- Journalism programs in Independence, MO
- Public Relations programs in Independence, MO
- Communication Disorders programs in Independence, MO
- Speech Pathology programs in Independence, MO
- Technical Communication programs in Independence, MO
- Professional Writing programs in Independence, MO
- Strategic Communications programs in Independence, MO
- Business Development programs in Independence, MO
- Construction Management programs in Independence, MO
- Economics programs in Independence, MO
- Financial Technology programs in Independence, MO
- Forensic Accounting programs in Independence, MO
- Health Information Management programs in Independence, MO
- Hospitality Management programs in Independence, MO
- International Business programs in Independence, MO
- Organizational Leadership programs in Independence, MO
- Management Information Systems programs in Independence, MO
- Nonprofit Management programs in Independence, MO
- Operations Management programs in Independence, MO
- Public Administration programs in Independence, MO
- Real Estate programs in Independence, MO
- Recreation Management programs in Independence, MO
- Retail Management programs in Independence, MO
- Risk Management programs in Independence, MO
- Statistics programs in Independence, MO
- Taxation programs in Independence, MO
- Corrections programs in Independence, MO
- Crime Analysis programs in Independence, MO
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Independence, MO
- Criminology programs in Independence, MO
- Cybercrime programs in Independence, MO
- Emergency Management programs in Independence, MO
- Fire Science programs in Independence, MO
- Forensic Science programs in Independence, MO
- Legal Services programs in Independence, MO
- Legal Studies programs in Independence, MO
- Paralegal programs in Independence, MO
- Security Management programs in Independence, MO
- Cloud Computing programs in Independence, MO
- Computer Engineering programs in Independence, MO
- Innovation programs in Independence, MO
- Mobile App Development programs in Independence, MO
- Software Development programs in Independence, MO
- User Experience programs in Independence, MO
- Web Development programs in Independence, MO
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Independence, MO
- Machine Learning programs in Independence, MO
- Supply Chain Management programs in Independence, MO
- Data Analytics programs in Independence, MO
- Public Health programs in Independence, MO
- Human Resources programs in Independence, MO
- Project Management programs in Independence, MO
- Special Education programs in Independence, MO
- Homeland Security programs in Independence, MO
- Marketing programs in Independence, MO
- Finance programs in Independence, MO
- Kinesiology programs in Independence, MO
- Sports Management programs in Independence, MO
- Early Childhood Education programs in Independence, MO
- Elementary Education programs in Independence, MO
- Biology programs in Independence, MO
- Communications programs in Independence, MO
- Graphic Design programs in Independence, MO
- Human Services programs in Independence, MO
- MBA programs in Independence, MO
- Criminal Justice programs in Independence, MO
- Nursing programs in Independence, MO
- Business Administration programs in Independence, MO
- Computer Science programs in Independence, MO
- Psychology programs in Independence, MO
- Education programs in Independence, MO
- Engineering programs in Independence, MO
- Technology programs in Independence, MO
- Liberal Arts programs in Independence, MO
- Healthcare programs in Independence, MO
- Cybersecurity programs in Independence, MO
- Accounting programs in Independence, MO
- Healthcare Administration programs in Independence, MO
- Social Work programs in Independence, MO
- Counseling programs in Independence, MO
Data verified: August 25, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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