McHenry County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
McHenry County, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 94% of counties in Illinois
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Illinois
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 312,591 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 511.8 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.21% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 117,594 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in McHenry County declined by 0.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 312,591 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in McHenry County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.5% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 62,630 20.0% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 66,922 21.4% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 73,557 23.5% +3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 50,120 16.0% -0.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.0% of the people living in McHenry County and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.0% Illinois 49.4%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in McHenry County
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Economy
McHenry County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $105,514 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.63% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in McHenry County is about 26% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,961 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,401 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.7% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in McHenry County is about 15.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,401 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in McHenry County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 224 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.8 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.7 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 224 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,935 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.1% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,228 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,613 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Illinois:
Edgar County (12.0 min), Brown County (12.7 min), Morgan County (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Calhoun County (43.8 min), Pulaski County (31.2 min), Pope County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in McHenry County is 27 minutes, longer than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
McHenry County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.1% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.64 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.4), Champaign County (0.4), Lake County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hardin County (0.2), Fayette County (0.2), Perry County (0.2).
Health
McHenry County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | McHenry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.3% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.8% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.8), Champaign County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8).
Lowest:
Alexander County (0.8), Pulaski County (0.8), Gallatin County (0.8).
McHenry County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
McHenry County, IL is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 312,591 residents against a local median of 105,657. The measure that sets McHenry County, IL apart most is median household income: $105,514, 24% above the local median of $85,291. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $263,961 against a local median of $318,869, 17% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so McHenry County, IL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $41,112 on median household income, so McHenry County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. McHenry County, IL has the 2nd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry County, IL | 312,591 | $105,514 #2/6 | $263,961 #4/6 | 26.8 min #6/6 |
| Walworth County, WI | 105,657 | $82,758 | $318,869 | 20.1 min |
| Boone County, IL | 53,226 | $85,291 | $66,484 | 23.3 min |
| Kane County, IL | 517,214 | $103,524 | $215,928 | 23.8 min |
| DeKalb County, IL | 100,702 | $71,059 | $334,212 | 21.0 min |
| DuPage County, IL | 929,812 | $112,172 | $400,376 | 23.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about McHenry County, Illinois.
What is the population of McHenry County, Illinois?
About 312,591 people live in McHenry County, Illinois, in 117,594 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is McHenry County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, McHenry County, Illinois has 512 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is McHenry County, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($263,961 against $105,514), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,401 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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