McHenry County is located in the Northeastern part of Illinois. A product of glacial proclivity, McHenry County is blessed with a lively landscape an abundance of lakes, rivers, streams and an environment for all seasons. Out of the 102 counties in Illinois, it is ranked 7th in the state with a population of 284,572. There are over 102,000 households, with 3.37 persons per household.
McHenry County is particularly fortunate inasmuch as its economic life is well divided between agriculture, manufacturing, mining and tourism. Our industry mix is led by manufacturing of 21%, trade, transportation and utilities of 20% and education and health services of 18% in the labor force. There are over 70 manufacturing headquartered companies located in McHenry County with annual payroll exceeding $1 billion and represent 36% of total payroll. Manufacturers in McHenry County serve customers all over the world, with several companies having sister plants in foreign countries. Some of the cluster industries include plastics, electronics and mining, McHenry County is in the top ten counties of the State in the number of manufacturing and processing firms.
In 2003, the per capita personal income (PCPI) was $33,507. This PCPI ranked 4th in the state and was 101 percent of the state average, $33,053, and 108 percent of the national average, $30,906. The Median Income was $70,956.
McHenry County has a diverse agricultural economy that includes field crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and hay. One of the top ten counties for wheat production in 2002, McHenry County has 175,000 acres of soybean, corn, wheat and oats. Livestock production in McHenry County is made up of primarily dairy, beef, sheep, and swine. The County is also well known for its growing horse industry. McHenry County is also the home of several vegetable growers, Christmas tree growers, bee keepers, nurseries, and orchards. Gross Cash Receipts from agriculture sales in McHenry County exceeded $85 million dollars in 2002.
McHenry County has over 160,000 in our labor force. The job market is varied with 31% of residents holding jobs in management, professional and related occupations. Among McHenry County adults over 25, 90.4% have at least a high school diploma or equivalent and 27.2% have some college.
Housing ranges from farms to country estates, rural communities to villages and residential neighborhoods in a wide variety of price ranges. The median value of owner occupied housing at $189,351.
The McHenry Educational Service Region is comprised of nine elementary school districts (K-8), four high school districts (9-12), five unit school districts (K-12,) and one special education cooperative serving over 56,057 students. The McHenry Regional Office of Education maintains a variety of statistical reports and other documents to assure school accountability.
The county land area is 612 square miles, with 6,500 acres of surface water consisting of 14 major streams and rivers running 158 miles and 1120 lakes and ponds. There are numerous conservation district sites in the county, three state parks, over 85 municipal and park district parks, four public beaches, many golf courses and several hunt clubs.
McHenry County remains a favored location to raise a family or grow a business. Abundant recreational areas, plenty of fresh air and open spaces, well-run villages/cities and schools and a friendly, rustic atmosphere that offers convenient access to ‘big city’ amenities have helped make McHenryCounty a ‘good place’ for the residents and businesses that call it home.
This item came directly from the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation web site (www.mcedc.com) and it is run with their permission. Fresh Harvest Church is a proud member of the McHenry County EDC, which our church joined as one means of helping our county provide the very best possible jobs for all of our residents, as men and women in our area increasingly choose to work closer to home.
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