Mchenry County

McHenry County is a county in northeastern Illinois, situated along the Wisconsin border and generally northwest of Chicago within the Chicago metropolitan region. Established in 1836 and named for Revolutionary War veteran Major William McHenry, it developed as an agricultural area before becoming a major corridor of suburban growth tied to the region’s transportation networks. The county is mid-sized by Illinois standards, with a population of roughly 310,000 (2020). Its landscape combines growing suburban communities with extensive rural and semi-rural areas, including farmland, wetlands, and a dense network of lakes and rivers such as the Fox River. The local economy reflects this mix, with employment centered on manufacturing, logistics, retail and services, and commuter-linked professional work, alongside remaining agricultural activity. Cultural life includes a blend of long-established towns and newer subdivisions, with outdoor recreation and lake-based amenities playing a prominent regional role. The county seat is Woodstock.

McHenry County is in northeastern Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan region and bordering Wisconsin. The county seat is Woodstock; local government information and planning resources are available on the McHenry County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for McHenry County, Illinois, the county’s population (2020 Census) was 310,229.

Age & Gender

According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (most recent profile values displayed on that page):

• Age distribution (percent of population)
  • Under 5 years: Data available on QuickFacts
  • Under 18 years: Data available on QuickFacts
  • Age 65 and over: Data available on QuickFacts
• Gender ratio
  • Female persons (percent): Data available on QuickFacts
  • Male persons (percent): Not shown directly on QuickFacts; it is derivable as 100% minus the female share, but no derived values are presented here.

Racial & Ethnic Composition

According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (most recent profile values displayed on that page), county-level race and ethnicity measures are provided, including:

• White alone (percent)
• Black or African American alone (percent)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone (percent)
• Asian alone (percent)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (percent)
• Two or more races (percent)
• Hispanic or Latino (percent) (of any race)

Household & Housing Data

According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (most recent profile values displayed on that page), the following household and housing indicators are available at the county level:

• Households (count)
• Persons per household
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate
• Median value of owner-occupied housing units
• Median selected monthly owner costs (with mortgage; without mortgage)
• Median gross rent
• Housing units (count)
• Building permits (new privately-owned housing units authorized)

For official state-level geographic and administrative context, see the State of Illinois website.

McHenry County’s mix of suburban communities along the Chicago exurbs and lower-density rural areas affects digital communication: denser corridors generally support more robust broadband buildout, while outlying areas face higher per-premise infrastructure costs. Direct, county-level email-usage statistics are not routinely published, so email adoption is summarized using proxies such as broadband subscription, device access, and age structure.

Digital access indicators (email-use proxies)

The U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) on data.census.gov publishes county estimates for household computer ownership and broadband subscriptions, which are commonly used proxies for the capacity to use email at home.

Age distribution and likely influence on email adoption

ACS age distributions for McHenry County (via data.census.gov) indicate a population spanning school-age, working-age, and older residents; older age groups tend to show lower adoption of newer digital services, making age composition relevant when interpreting email access via household connectivity.

Gender distribution (context)

Gender composition is available in ACS tables; it is typically less predictive of email access than broadband/device availability and age.

Connectivity and infrastructure limitations

Broadband availability and gaps can be referenced through the FCC National Broadband Map, which highlights location-level service availability and helps identify underserved areas within the county.

McHenry County is in northeastern Illinois on the outer edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, bordering Wisconsin. Development is a mix of suburban municipalities (especially in the county’s southeast and along commuter corridors) and lower-density exurban/rural areas toward the west and northwest. This mix of population density and land use influences mobile connectivity: denser areas generally support more cell sites and higher-capacity networks, while lower-density areas more often experience coverage gaps, weaker in-building signal, or lower available speeds.

Network availability (coverage) vs. adoption (use)

Network availability describes where mobile networks (4G LTE and 5G) are technically reachable and at what performance level. Adoption describes whether households and individuals actually subscribe to mobile service, own smartphones, and use mobile internet for everyday access. These measures are not interchangeable; a location may have coverage but low adoption due to affordability, device access, digital skills, or preferences for fixed broadband.

Mobile penetration / access indicators (county-level adoption where available)

County-specific adoption metrics for mobile service and smartphone ownership are generally not published as a single “mobile penetration rate” at the county level. The most commonly used public datasets measure:

• Household internet subscription and device types (including smartphone-only access and cellular data plans) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).
• Location-level availability of mobile broadband from federal coverage datasets.

For McHenry County, county-level indicators of household internet subscription and device access are available through the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS tables and data tools, though the exact values vary by year and table selection. Relevant Census resources include:

• The U.S. Census Bureau’s main portal for ACS data and internet/device measures via data.census.gov.
• Background documentation on ACS subject tables and methodology from Census.gov (American Community Survey).

What can be measured from ACS for a county ACS tables commonly used to describe mobile access at the household level include:

• Share of households with an internet subscription, including categories such as cellular data plan, broadband (cable/fiber/DSL), and sometimes satellite/other options (table availability depends on ACS release format).
• Share of households with a computer and/or smartphone, including households that rely on a smartphone as a primary access device (“smartphone-only” or “wireless-only” internet access categories appear in some ACS table layouts).

Limitations

• ACS is survey-based and estimates have margins of error; smaller subareas (municipalities, census tracts) may require multi-year estimates for stability.
• “Cellular data plan” in ACS reflects household subscription status, not the quality of mobile service at the address.

Mobile internet usage patterns and network technology (4G/5G availability)

4G LTE and 5G availability (where networks are reported)

Public, address-level mobile broadband availability is primarily represented through the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection (BDC). The FCC provides map-based views and downloadable data layers showing where providers report service for:

• Mobile broadband (typical layers include LTE and multiple 5G technologies, depending on reporting)
• Provider-reported coverage footprints and technology categories

Key sources:

• The FCC’s national broadband mapping platform: FCC National Broadband Map
• FCC background on the data collection and methodology: FCC Broadband Data Collection

How to interpret FCC availability for McHenry County

• Availability maps show reported service presence, not guaranteed in-building performance or speeds experienced during congestion.
• 5G availability varies by spectrum and deployment type (e.g., broader-coverage low-band vs. higher-capacity mid-band), and the FCC map should be treated as a coverage indicator rather than a direct proxy for typical user speeds.

Reported mobile speed/experience metrics (not always county-specific)

User-experience speed tests and analytics are often published at state or metro levels rather than for a single county. Where county-specific performance is not published in an official dataset, it is a limitation that cannot be resolved without proprietary or locally collected drive-test data. Official federal sources focus more on availability than on measured real-world performance.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

County-specific device ownership splits are most defensibly sourced from ACS device questions and derived tables:

• Smartphone presence in the household (a proxy for smartphone access)
• Desktop/laptop/tablet ownership (indicating multi-device environments)
• Smartphone-only internet access patterns (where available in the ACS tables used)

These indicators can be retrieved for McHenry County through data.census.gov by selecting McHenry County, Illinois and filtering for internet subscription/device tables.

Limitations

• ACS measures household device availability, not the number of devices per person, the age of devices, or whether devices are capable of specific 5G bands.
• Wearables, hotspots, and connected vehicle telematics are not comprehensively captured in ACS household device categories.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in McHenry County

Population density and land use

• Areas with higher density and more commercial development generally support more cell sites and greater network capacity (more consistent 5G availability and better in-building coverage).
• Lower-density portions of the county (rural/exurban) tend to have fewer towers per square mile, which can reduce indoor signal strength and increase the likelihood of coverage variability along minor roads.

Authoritative population and density context for the county is available through:

• Census.gov QuickFacts (county population, density, housing, and socio-economic context)

Commuter patterns and transportation corridors

McHenry County includes commuter flows into the Chicago region. Heavier daytime demand near major corridors and population centers can affect congestion patterns, though public, county-level congestion statistics specific to mobile networks are not typically published in official datasets. Local geographic context can be referenced from:

• McHenry County, Illinois official website

Income, age, and household composition

At the county level, ACS provides data on:

• Income distribution, poverty status, age structure, and educational attainment
  These variables correlate with differences in smartphone adoption and reliance on mobile-only internet in many U.S. communities, but the relationship should be described using measurable ACS cross-tabs rather than assumed. Relevant baseline demographic profiles come from:
• data.census.gov
• Census.gov QuickFacts

Summary of what is known vs. limited at the county level

• Well-supported with public data: Provider-reported 4G/5G availability via the FCC National Broadband Map; household-level internet subscription and device access measures via data.census.gov.
• Often limited or not official at county granularity: Consistent, countywide statistics on real-world mobile speeds by technology (4G vs. distinct 5G layers), congestion, and device capability mix beyond broad “smartphone vs. computer” categories. Where available, such metrics usually come from proprietary analytics rather than official county-level publications.

McHenry County is in northeastern Illinois along the outer edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, with population centers such as Crystal Lake, McHenry, Algonquin, and Woodstock. Its mix of commuter suburbs, exurban/rural townships, and a substantial share of family households tends to align local social media use with broader suburban Midwestern patterns, with especially high usage among working-age adults and parents and heavy reliance on mobile access.

User statistics (penetration and active use)

• Local (county-specific) social media penetration: Publicly available surveys rarely publish social-media-use estimates at the county level. As a result, the most defensible way to describe McHenry County is to apply U.S. benchmark rates to the county’s demographic structure.
• U.S. benchmark for adults using social media: About 7 in 10 U.S. adults use social media (varies by survey year and definition). Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
• Internet access context (relevant to potential social media reach): County-level internet/broadband availability and adoption patterns are commonly referenced through federal datasets; see FCC National Broadband Map for location-based broadband availability and context.

Age group trends (highest-use cohorts)

National survey results consistently show usage peaks among younger adults and remains high through midlife:

• Ages 18–29: Highest social media usage (commonly near 90%+ in Pew estimates across recent years).
• Ages 30–49: High usage (commonly around the 70–80% range).
• Ages 50–64: Moderate-to-high usage (commonly around the 60% range).
• Ages 65+: Lowest usage but rising over time (commonly around 40–50%). Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Local implication: With McHenry County’s large share of households in prime working/parenting ages (30–49) typical of Chicago-area outer suburbs, overall adoption generally tracks the national “high but not universal” pattern, with the strongest concentration among 18–49.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media use: Gender differences in “any social media use” are typically small in major U.S. surveys.
• Platform-level differences: Women tend to index higher on some visually and socially oriented platforms (notably Pinterest and, in many studies, Instagram), while men often index higher on some discussion/video and certain network types depending on the platform and year. Sources: Pew Research Center platform-by-platform estimates.

Most-used platforms (U.S. adult benchmarks; county-level splits not commonly published)

County-specific platform shares are not commonly available from public sources, so the following reflects U.S. adult usage as the most comparable benchmark:

• YouTube: ~80%+ of U.S. adults
• Facebook: ~60%+
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• LinkedIn: ~20–25%
• X (Twitter): ~20–25%
• Snapchat / WhatsApp: meaningful but vary by year; WhatsApp is higher among some demographic groups
  Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.

Local implication: In a Chicago-metro-adjacent county with many commuters and service-sector and professional employment, YouTube and Facebook tend to be ubiquitous, with Instagram and TikTok strongest among younger residents, and LinkedIn more concentrated among college-educated professionals.

Behavioral trends (engagement and preferences)

• Video-centric consumption is dominant: YouTube’s reach and the growth of short-form video (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) indicate a continuing shift toward video-first discovery and entertainment. Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
• Platform choice tracks life stage: Younger adults concentrate engagement on TikTok/Instagram/Snapchat-style feeds, while older adults more often rely on Facebook for local news, community groups, and event sharing. Source: Pew Research Center.
• Local-information use via groups and pages: Suburban/exurban counties commonly show high reliance on Facebook Groups, school/community pages, park district and library accounts, and municipality communications for hyperlocal updates (events, weather impacts, school closures, community discussions). This aligns with national findings that social platforms are frequently used for news and community information among users. Reference context: Pew Research Center Journalism & Media research.
• Mobile-first engagement: Social media activity is heavily driven by smartphones in the U.S., supporting frequent short sessions throughout the day rather than long desktop sessions. Reference context: Pew Research Center Internet & Technology research.

McHenry County family and associate-related public records include vital records and court records. Vital records (birth and death certificates, and marriage and civil union records) are maintained at the county level by the McHenry County Clerk – Vital Records. Divorce records are handled through the circuit court; case information and filings are managed by the McHenry County Circuit Clerk. Adoption records are generally handled through the courts and are commonly restricted from public inspection.

Public-facing databases include court case access tools. The Circuit Clerk provides online access to case information through its public access resources (linked from the Circuit Clerk department page). For recorded documents that can reflect family relationships (for example, deeds, mortgages, liens, and some name-related instruments), the McHenry County Recorder maintains land and document records and publishes search and access information.

Access is available online where portals are provided, and in person at the relevant office for certified copies and requests. Identification, fees, and application forms are commonly required for certified vital records.

Privacy restrictions apply to many family records. Birth records are typically closed to the general public for a statutory period, adoption files are commonly confidential, and certified copies of certain vital records are issued only to eligible requesters under Illinois law.

Types of records maintained

• Marriage license and marriage certificate records
  • McHenry County maintains records documenting applications for marriage licenses, issuance of licenses, and the certificate/return completed after the ceremony and filed with the county.
• Divorce records (dissolution of marriage)
  • Divorce is a court action. McHenry County maintains case files for dissolutions of marriage, including final judgments.
• Annulment records (declaration of invalidity of marriage)
  • Annulment in Illinois is handled by the circuit court as a civil case resulting in a judgment declaring a marriage invalid. McHenry County maintains the case file and final judgment.

Where records are filed and how they are accessed

• Marriage records
  • Filed and maintained by the McHenry County Clerk (vital records function).
  • Access is commonly provided through certified copies (for legal purposes) and non-certified/genealogical copies depending on county and state practice and record age.
  • State-level indexing and verification may also involve the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records (IDPH), which maintains statewide marriage and divorce verification and indexes for certain years. Reference: Illinois Department of Public Health – Vital Records.
• Divorce and annulment records
  • Filed and maintained by the McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk as part of the court’s civil case records.
  • Access is typically provided by:
    • Case search/docket access (online availability varies by court policy and system configuration).
    • Copies of filings and judgments obtained from the Circuit Court Clerk’s office, subject to redactions and access rules.
  • IDPH does not issue certified copies of divorce decrees; it generally provides verification (not the decree itself) for eligible requesters within its maintained year ranges. Reference: IDPH – Divorce Records.

Typical information contained in these records

• Marriage license / marriage certificate
  • Parties’ names (and often prior names)
  • Date and place of marriage (or license issuance date and location)
  • Ages or dates of birth, and places of birth (content varies by time period and form)
  • Residences/addresses at time of application
  • Officiant name/title and certification
  • Witness information (when collected)
  • License number and filing/recording details
• Divorce (dissolution of marriage) case file / decree (judgment)
  • Case caption (party names), case number, filing date, and court location
  • Type of action (dissolution; sometimes legal separation or parentage-related filings)
  • Final judgment date and terms such as:
    • Dissolution date and restoration of former name (when ordered)
    • Allocation of parental responsibilities/parenting time, child support, maintenance
    • Division of property and debts
  • Related orders (temporary orders, protection orders, enforcement/contempt orders), where applicable
• Annulment (declaration of invalidity)
  • Case caption, case number, filing date, and final judgment
  • Findings supporting invalidity under Illinois law and any related relief (property, support, children-related orders when applicable)

Privacy and legal restrictions

• Marriage records
  • Certified copies are generally issued under state and local vital records rules; access practices may distinguish between certified copies for legal use and non-certified copies for informational/genealogical use.
  • Identifying details (such as addresses, dates of birth, or other personal identifiers) may be restricted or redacted on copies depending on governing rules and the record format.
• Divorce and annulment court records
  • Illinois court records are generally presumed open, but access is limited by sealing orders, statutory confidentiality provisions, and required redactions of protected information (for example, Social Security numbers, financial account identifiers, and certain information involving minors).
  • Specific filings (such as financial affidavits, psychological evaluations, and certain family-related reports) may be restricted by rule or sealed by court order.
• State vital records limitations
  • IDPH typically provides verification letters for marriage/divorce records within its maintained ranges rather than court decrees, and releases are subject to requester eligibility and state rules. Reference: IDPH – Vital Records.

McHenry County is in northeastern Illinois on the outer edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, bordering Wisconsin to the north. The county includes a mix of fast-growing suburbs (especially along the I‑90 corridor) and lower-density communities with agricultural and conservation land. Population is roughly 300,000+ residents, with most households living in owner-occupied single-family housing and commuting to jobs both within the county and elsewhere in the region. (Population totals vary slightly by source/year; the most consistent countywide benchmarks come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS).)

Education Indicators

Public schools (counts and names)

• Countywide counts of “public schools” and a definitive, current list of school names are not reliably represented by a single dataset at the county level because schools are administered by multiple local districts (elementary, high school, and unit districts) whose boundaries cross municipalities.
• The most authoritative way to enumerate all current public schools and their names in McHenry County is via the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) School Directory (search by county/district): ISBE School Directory.
• Major high-school–serving districts in/covering McHenry County include (non-exhaustive):
  • Community High School District 155 (Crystal Lake area)
  • Community High School District 156 (McHenry area)
  • Prairie Ridge/Crystal Lake Central (D155), McHenry High School (D156) are among the prominent comprehensive high schools in the county.
    District rosters and individual school lists are most consistently maintained on district sites and ISBE’s directory.

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

• Student–teacher ratio: A single “countywide public-school student–teacher ratio” is not typically published as an official county metric because staffing and enrollment are tracked at the district and school level. District report cards provide the most current ratios by school and district.
• Graduation rates: Illinois publishes 4-year cohort graduation rates by high school/district through the Illinois Report Card system; countywide aggregation is not consistently presented as an official headline statistic. The most recent verified rates by high school and district are available through: Illinois Report Card.

Adult educational attainment (county residents)

(From the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey county profiles; the “latest available” is generally the most recent ACS 1-year or 5-year release for counties.)

• High school diploma or higher (age 25+): McHenry County is highly educated relative to many Illinois counties, typically reporting around nine in ten adults with at least a high school credential in recent ACS profiles.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+): Educational attainment is above the U.S. average, commonly reported in the upper-30% range in recent ACS county profiles.
  Source: ACS educational attainment tables on data.census.gov (search “McHenry County, IL educational attainment”).

Notable programs (STEM, vocational, Advanced Placement)

• Advanced Placement (AP), dual credit, and career/technical education (CTE) are widely offered across McHenry County’s high schools, but program availability varies by district and school.
• CTE/vocational pathways in the region commonly include manufacturing, health sciences, IT, business/marketing, and skilled trades, aligned with local employment (manufacturing/logistics/healthcare).
• Verified program listings, AP course participation, dual-credit participation, and CTE concentrator metrics are best sourced from:
  • Illinois Report Card (AP participation/performance, CTE participation where reported)
  • District curriculum guides (district-maintained and updated more frequently than statewide summaries)

School safety measures and counseling resources

• Illinois districts generally report safety planning and student supports through local policy documents and state reporting frameworks. Common countywide patterns include:
  • Secure-entry procedures, visitor management, emergency drills, and coordination with local law enforcement (varies by campus).
  • Student services typically include school counselors, social workers, and referrals to community mental-health providers; staffing levels and service models vary widely by district and school.
• The most consistent public source for safety and student-support reporting at the school/district level is the district profile and related metrics in the Illinois Report Card, supplemented by board policies and school handbooks published by each district.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

• The most current unemployment figures are published monthly and annually by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
• Official county unemployment time series: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS).
  (McHenry County’s rate typically tracks near the Chicago metro suburban range; the precise “most recent year” value should be taken directly from LAUS/IDES tables because it changes monthly and is revised.)

Major industries and employment sectors

Based on standard county employment profiles (ACS “industry” for resident workforce; and regional employer patterns typical of the Chicago outer suburbs), major sectors include:

• Manufacturing (including precision manufacturing and related supply chains)
• Health care and social assistance
• Retail trade
• Educational services
• Construction
• Transportation and warehousing (especially along major corridors) Primary resident-industry distributions are available via ACS industry tables (search “McHenry County IL industry employed civilian population”).

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Common occupational groups in suburban, mixed-density counties in the Chicago region include:

• Management, business, science, and arts occupations
• Sales and office occupations
• Production, transportation, and material moving
• Service occupations (healthcare support, protective services, food service)
• Construction and extraction Resident occupation breakdowns are available from ACS occupation tables.

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

• McHenry County has a suburban commuting profile, with substantial travel to job centers in Kane, Lake, Cook, DuPage, and the broader Chicago region.
• Mean commute time for residents is typically around the low-to-mid 30-minute range in recent ACS profiles (exact current figure varies by ACS release).
  Source: ACS commuting/means of transportation to work tables.

Local employment versus out-of-county work

• The county functions as both a residential base and an employment center, but commuting out of county is common due to the proximity of major job concentrations in the Chicago metro area.
• The most direct public measure of in-county vs. out-of-county commuting uses LEHD/LODES commuter flow data (home-to-work): U.S. Census LEHD/LODES.
  (This provides an evidence-based split of residents who work within McHenry County versus those commuting to other counties.)

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership and rental share

• McHenry County is predominantly owner-occupied, with homeownership generally around the mid-to-upper 70% range in recent ACS profiles, and the remainder in rental housing.
  Source: ACS housing tenure tables.

Median property values and recent trends

• Median owner-occupied home value in McHenry County is typically in the mid-$200,000s to low-$300,000s range in recent ACS releases (exact value depends on the latest ACS year).
  Source: ACS median value tables.
• Recent trend (proxy): Like much of the Chicago metro outer suburbs, values generally rose notably during 2020–2022, then shifted toward slower growth with higher interest rates; precise, current market movement is best measured using local MLS statistics rather than ACS (ACS is survey-based and lags market conditions). This statement reflects regional housing-market behavior; the definitive county trendline requires MLS/assessor time series.

Typical rent prices

• Median gross rent in McHenry County is commonly reported in the $1,300–$1,700/month range in recent ACS profiles (varies by year and sampling).
  Source: ACS rent tables.

Housing types

• The housing stock is dominated by single-family detached homes in most municipalities and unincorporated areas, with townhomes/duplexes and multi-family apartments concentrated in larger communities and near commercial corridors.
• Rural lots and lower-density subdivisions remain a defining feature in parts of the county, consistent with its mixed suburban–exurban character.
  (Countywide housing-type shares are available in ACS “units in structure” tables on data.census.gov.)

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools or amenities)

• Development patterns commonly place:
  • Newer subdivisions near arterial roads and retail centers for access to services and commuting routes
  • Older housing closer to traditional downtowns (e.g., historic cores) with nearer access to schools, parks, and civic amenities
  • Lower-density and rural residential areas farther from municipal service centers, with longer drive times to schools and shopping
    These are land-use patterns observed across the county; precise proximity measures require GIS-based analysis.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

• Illinois relies heavily on property taxes, and McHenry County’s effective property tax rates are typically in the upper Midwest range and can be around ~2% of market value (effective rates vary substantially by municipality, school district, and assessment outcomes).
• Typical annual homeowner tax bills vary widely by location and home value; countywide “typical cost” is best approximated using effective-rate estimates and median values rather than a single universal bill.
• The most defensible public comparisons of effective property tax rates come from sources such as the county assessment frameworks (for methodology context) and compiled effective-rate studies (note that compiled studies vary by methodology). The most authoritative local figures for a given property come from the McHenry County Treasurer/assessment records.

Data availability note: Several requested metrics (public school counts with names, countywide student–teacher ratio, a single county graduation rate, and an official “typical” property tax bill) are not consistently published as single countywide values because they are tracked at the school/district or parcel level. The most reliable proxies and authoritative sources are ISBE’s directory and report cards for education, BLS LAUS for unemployment, ACS for resident workforce and housing medians, and LEHD/LODES for commuting flows.