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COUNTY

McHenry County

Illinois · 317,751 residents (2025 est.) · 603.397 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#124Highest median household incomeof 3,143$104,802#130Lowest poverty rateof 3,1446.2%
The short version

McHenry County is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $104,802. Population has grown 20% since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $308,100. Poverty is rare here, at 6.2% of residents. It ranks in the top 1% of US counties for household income. Households here earn about 26% more than the Illinois median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.7
US median: 38.9
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
312,591
+20%since 2000
from 260,077 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
518 / sq mi
Unchangedsince 2009
from 519 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.7
+19%since 2000
from 34.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:317,751 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
170K209K248K287K326K1990201020202024McHenry County
2024313K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(16,493)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(18,907)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.9%(21,722)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.9%(21,463)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(17,725)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.6%(36,375)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.1%(41,083)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.5%(42,049)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.5%(45,262)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.1%(31,689)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(14,702)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(5,121)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$104,802
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $64,826 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$49,388
+87%since 2000
from $26,476 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
65.9%
+14.0 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
6.2%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 3.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.416
+8%since 2010
from 0.386 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$308,100
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $167,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,401
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $761 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
82.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2000
from 83.2% in 2000
17.3% rent
Vacancy rate
3.1%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
21.5%
−14.7 ptssince 2009
from 36.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
−10%since 2009
from 3.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
12
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in McHenry County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.6%(233,026)
Black0.5%(1,379)
Hispanic / Latino7.5%(19,602)
Asian1.4%(3,734)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic76.1%(237,822)
Black1.4%(4,315)
Hispanic / Latino16.1%(50,243)
Asian3%(9,441)
Other3.4%(10,770)
Diversity Score
49
+46%since 2009
from 34 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
20
−6%since 2020
from 22 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican12.6%(39,343)
Puerto Rican1.3%(4,132)
South American0.7%(2,181)
Central American0.6%(1,897)
Cuban0.3%(1,006)
Salvadoran0.2%(660)
Peruvian0.2%(605)
Spaniard0.2%(496)
Guatemalan0.1%(465)
Colombian0.1%(432)
Chilean0.1%(316)
Nicaraguan0.1%(308)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(298)
Venezuelan0.1%(253)
Honduran0.1%(221)
Panamanian0.1%(201)
Dominican0%(145)
Argentine0%(75)
Bolivian0%(19)
Asian origin
Filipino0.9%(2,886)
Asian Indian0.8%(2,541)
Pakistani0.3%(1,066)
Korean0.3%(1,045)
Chinese0.2%(588)
Vietnamese0.1%(382)
Japanese0.1%(189)
Laotian0%(128)
Cambodian0%(123)
Burmese0%(47)
Mongolian0%(31)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(29)
Taiwanese0%(28)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(73)
Chamorro0%(63)
Ancestry
German26.7%(83,320)
Irish15.8%(49,359)
Polish10.8%(33,821)
Italian9.4%(29,312)
English8.2%(25,660)
Swedish3.3%(10,461)
American2.8%(8,905)
Norwegian1.7%(5,400)
French1.7%(5,245)
Scottish1.6%(5,122)
Czech1.2%(3,610)
Dutch1%(3,024)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Greek0.9%(2,880)
Danish0.7%(2,128)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,950)
Russian0.6%(1,873)
Lithuanian0.6%(1,780)
Ukrainian0.5%(1,535)
Hungarian0.5%(1,422)
French Canadian0.4%(1,374)
Austrian0.4%(1,187)
British0.3%(1,015)
Welsh0.3%(963)
Swiss0.3%(833)
Armenian0.2%(734)
Croatian0.2%(702)
Slovak0.2%(650)
Arab0.2%(645)
Finnish0.2%(633)
Romanian0.2%(613)
West Indian0.2%(572)
Belgian0.2%(515)
Slovene0.2%(482)
Bulgarian0.1%(451)
Nigerian0.1%(422)
Portuguese0.1%(390)
Serbian0.1%(305)
Canadian0.1%(298)
Lebanese0.1%(266)
Latvian0.1%(194)
Jamaican0.1%(180)
Barbadian0%(120)
Brazilian0%(117)
Haitian0%(88)
Turkish0%(80)
Egyptian0%(70)
Iraqi0%(54)
Somali0%(48)
Kenyan0%(42)
Ethiopian0%(35)
Israeli0%(33)
Iranian0%(25)
Syrian0%(22)
Moroccan0%(10)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Polish population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
35.2%
+7.5 ptssince 2000
from 27.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.7%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 89.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
12.0%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 8.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
30.1 min
+20%since 2000
from 25.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
72.9%
−8.7 ptssince 2009
from 81.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.1%
+11.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.7%
−4.1 ptssince 2011
from 8.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.7%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 72.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
13.1%
+2.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
42.1%
−21.4 ptssince 2009
from 63.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Female
49.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Foreign born
9.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.6%
−44.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2012
from 7.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.5%
−86.2 ptssince 2013
from 90.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.4%
+6.5 ptssince 2017
from 88.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
83.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2016
from 85.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
10.6%
+1.7 ptssince 2016
from 9.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.7%(40,417)
Married56.9%(72,463)
Widowed2.5%(3,217)
Divorced8.9%(11,294)
Women 15+
Never married26.6%(34,090)
Married54.8%(70,153)
Widowed7.3%(9,355)
Divorced11.3%(14,480)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare McHenry County to nearby counties

MCHENRY COUNTY VS
Boone County
Income$84,571−19%
Home value$216,900−30%
Population53,568−83%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCHENRY COUNTY VS
Walworth County
Income$80,520−23%
Home value$302,700−2%
Population106,127−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCHENRY COUNTY VS
Kane County
Income$103,163−2%
Home value$327,000+6%
Population525,757+65%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCHENRY COUNTY VS
DeKalb County
Income$70,724−33%
Home value$243,600−21%
Population101,835−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in McHenry County, Illinois?

McHenry County, Illinois has about 312,591 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in McHenry County, Illinois?

The typical household in McHenry County, Illinois earns about $104,802 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is McHenry County, Illinois expensive?

In McHenry County, Illinois, the median home is worth about $308,100, and the typical rent is about $1,401 a month.

How educated are people in McHenry County, Illinois?

About 35.2% of adults age 25 and over in McHenry County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in McHenry County, Illinois?

About 6.2% of people in McHenry County, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has McHenry County, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, McHenry County, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 129,350 residents, a change of about 71 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

64 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 8715.02Census Tract 8708.09Census Tract 8707.02Census Tract 8712.01Census Tract 8712.06Census Tract 8706.05Census Tract 8710.04Census Tract 8715.01Census Tract 8707.03Census Tract 8713.12Census Tract 8702Census Tract 8712.02Census Tract 8704.02Census Tract 8713.05Census Tract 8711.12Census Tract 8714.02Census Tract 8709.04Census Tract 8711.07Census Tract 8711.05Census Tract 8711.08
18 ZIP codes
ZIP 60014ZIP 60098ZIP 60102ZIP 60050ZIP 60142ZIP 60156ZIP 60013ZIP 60051ZIP 60033ZIP 60152ZIP 60012ZIP 60097ZIP 60081ZIP 60021ZIP 60071ZIP 60034ZIP 60180ZIP 60072
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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