Official Federal Data
McHenry County, Illinois
FIPS 17111 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Population 312,591
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$104,802 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.1% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$16B ▲
GDP
35.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$104,802 ▲
Per Capita
$49,388 ▲
Mean Household
$130,520 ▲
Poverty Rate
6.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
McHenry County$104,802
Illinois$83,390
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.7%
18-34 · 19.7%
35-54 · 26.6%
55-64 · 14.5%
65+ · 16.5%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.1 pts
35.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 0.5 pts
12%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
312,591
Population
174,864
Labor Force
Employed
166,438
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.1% ▼ 0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min above national avg
30.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.1%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 13,197 workers (18.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $37,627.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $16B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $83,931 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,149, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
8,141
Cluster Employment
3.71x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
3.71x 1,632
Machinery Manufacturing
3.22x 2,198
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.92x 633
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.72x 2,434
General Merchandise Retailers
2.11x 4,289
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
2.00x 4,266
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
1.81x 493
Paper Manufacturing
1.75x 387
Crop Production
1.68x 557
Primary Metal Manufacturing
1.60x 364
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.11x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
117 employed
0.11x
Warehousing and Storage
127 employed
0.15x
Accommodation
182 employed
0.18x
Couriers and Messengers
125 employed
0.21x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
76 employed
0.26x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
63 employed
0.31x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
502 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing concentrates at 3.71x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$308,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,401 ▲
Rent/Mo
82.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
3.1% ▼
Vacancy
2.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,480/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,581/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,781/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,294/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,653/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,620/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 82.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,620/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
189,990 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min above national avg
30.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
87%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
35.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
57,734/yr
15,945/yr
11,893/yr
9,399/yr
8,607/yr
5,976/yr
5,914/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
23.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
42.1%
Service
14.3%
Sales & Office
21.2%
Construction / Maint.
9.2%
Production / Transport
13.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 166,438 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 23.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 37,237 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
McHenry County shows meaningful potential for plastics and rubber products manufacturing attraction, with a 3.71x concentration and 1,632 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across plastics and rubber products manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and printing and related support activities creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for McHenry County, Illinois, from federal data sources.
What is the population of McHenry County, Illinois?
312,591 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in McHenry County, Illinois?
$104,802 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in McHenry County, Illinois?
4.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of McHenry County, Illinois?
$16B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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