Mchenry County

McHenry County, Illinois — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census; 2023 ACS 1-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: ~313,000–314,000 (2023 est.; 2020 Census: 310,229)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~22–23%
• 18 to 64: ~60–62%
• 65 and over: ~16–17%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity

• White, non-Hispanic: ~71–73%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~13–15%
• Black or African American: ~2%
• Asian: ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~6–9%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and other: ~1% combined

Households

• Total households: ~112,000–116,000
• Average household size: ~2.75–2.85 persons
• Family households: ~70–73% of households
• Married-couple households: ~54–57%
• Households with children under 18: ~31–34%
• Nonfamily households: ~27–30%
• Living alone: ~22–24% of households; ~7–9% with someone 65+ living alone

Notes: Figures are rounded ACS estimates (with margins of error) anchored to the 2020 Census count for population level-setting.

McHenry County context: Population 310,229 (2020), land ≈603 sq mi; density ≈514 residents/sq mi. Households ≈110,000.

Estimated email users: ≈235,000 residents (ages 13+), based on ~92% adult and ~80% teen adoption applied to the local age mix.

Age distribution of email users (share | count):

• 13–17: ~6% | ~14.5k
• 18–29: ~16% | ~38.6k
• 30–49: ~35% | ~81.5k
• 50–64: ~26% | ~61.4k
• 65+: ~17% | ~39.1k

Gender split: ≈51% female, 49% male among users; usage is effectively at parity across genders.

Digital access trends: About 95% of households have a computer and around 90% subscribe to broadband, supporting high email penetration and frequent access. Mobile email is reinforced by widespread smartphone use.

Local connectivity: Fixed broadband is prevalent in larger municipalities (Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills), while exurban/rural townships show somewhat more reliance on wireless/satellite. Overall internet availability and speeds track suburban Chicago norms, with dense corridors enjoying cable/fiber coverage and strong adoption.

Mobile phone usage in McHenry County, Illinois — 2025 snapshot

Population baseline

• Residents: ~311,000 (ACS/Census recent estimates)
• Households: ~115,000–120,000; average household size is higher than Illinois overall (roughly 2.7–2.9 vs IL ~2.6)
• Age skews slightly older than the state (median age ~40 vs IL ~39), with substantial suburban/exurban settlement

User estimates (residents)

• Mobile phone users (age 13+): ~250,000 (about 80% of total population). Including some children under 13 with phones, the practical user base is ~260,000–270,000
• Smartphone users (age 13+): ~235,000
  • Method (aligned to recent Pew Research adoption rates applied to McHenry age mix):
    • Teens 13–17 (~19k): ~95% smartphone
    • Adults 18–34 (~59k): ~97% smartphone
    • Adults 35–64 (~127k): ~93% smartphone
    • Adults 65+ (~53k): ~78% smartphone; ~92% have a mobile phone of any type
• Lines per 100 residents (incl. phones, tablets, wearables, vehicle/IoT): roughly 135–150, implying ~420,000–465,000 active wireless connections in the county (in line with national CTIA-level penetration but on the lower end of big-metro Illinois due to fewer enterprise IoT concentrations)

Demographic breakdown (estimated users)

• Age (smartphone users, rounded)
  • 13–17: ~18k
  • 18–34: ~57k
  • 35–64: ~118k
  • 65+: ~41k
• Income/education
  • Higher median household income than Illinois overall translates to near-universal smartphone ownership in $100k+ households and higher 5G device penetration; smartphone-only internet reliance is lower than the state average
• Race/ethnicity
  • County composition (majority White non-Hispanic, with Hispanic/Latino as the largest minority) aligns with smartphone adoption rates that are broadly similar across groups; Hispanic and Black residents tend to show higher mobile-only dependence statewide, but in McHenry the effect is dampened by higher home broadband availability in the larger suburbs

Usage and plan patterns (what differs from Illinois overall)

• Fewer mobile-only households: Statewide, roughly low- to mid-teens percent of adults rely on smartphones for home internet; in McHenry County the share is meaningfully lower (roughly high-single-digit to ~10%) due to higher home broadband take-up in suburbs like Algonquin, Crystal Lake, and Lake in the Hills
• More multi-line family plans: Larger household size and family composition raise lines-per-household compared with Illinois urban averages
• Commute-driven mobile demand: A higher share of drive-alone commuting (mid-80s% vs IL mid-70s%) shifts network load toward highway corridors and peak AM/PM periods rather than all-day urban transit usage seen in Chicago/Cook

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide 4G LTE; 5G is broadly available in the denser east/south corridors and town centers
  • Mid-band 5G (T-Mobile 2.5 GHz; Verizon/AT&T C-band) is common along US-14, IL-31, IL-47, IL-176, and the Metra UP–Northwest corridor (Crystal Lake–Cary–Fox River Grove) and around Algonquin/Lake in the Hills
  • The northwest/rural fringe (Harvard, Hebron, Hartland) relies more on low-band 5G/LTE; indoor service variability is more pronounced there than in Chicago-area urban cores
• Capacity and backhaul
  • Recent C-band/2.5 GHz upgrades since 2022–2024 have materially raised capacity in Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, Algonquin, and Huntley
  • Fiber backhaul is available in the principal suburbs (AT&T and other regional fiber providers, plus cable HFC) supporting dense 5G sites; microwave backhaul persists at some rural macros
• Fixed wireless access (FWA)
  • 5G home internet from T-Mobile and Verizon is widely available and sees above-state-average uptake in exurban blocks where cable/fiber options are limited; this shifts a measurable share of evening traffic onto mobile networks compared with Illinois’ urban counties
• Small cells and in-building
  • Small-cell deployments cluster along retail corridors (Randall Rd, downtown Crystal Lake and McHenry) and near schools/venues; public-safety DAS and enterprise in-building systems are present in newer medical/industrial sites

How McHenry County differs from the Illinois picture

• Adoption is high across the board but mobile-only dependence is lower than the state average due to stronger suburban home broadband
• Network usage is more commute/highway-centric; capacity investments follow arterial roads and park-and-ride/transit nodes rather than dense urban grids
• 5G mid-band is widespread in population centers, but the urban–rural performance gap within the county is larger than what statewide averages imply
• Household structure drives more multi-line family plans and a higher share of connected cars/wearables per household, pushing connections per capita up even when unique user share is similar to the state

Key takeaways

• ~250k residents 13+ in McHenry County use a mobile phone; ~235k use smartphones
• Lines per 100 residents are roughly 135–150 when counting phones, wearables, tablets, vehicles, and IoT
• Coverage is strong on 4G/5G, with mid-band 5G capacity concentrated along major corridors and town centers; rural fringes lean on low-band
• Compared with Illinois overall, McHenry shows lower smartphone-only reliance, higher family-plan concentration, and a more pronounced urban–rural performance split within the county

Social media usage in McHenry County, IL (2025 planning snapshot)

Headline numbers

• Population: ~312,000 residents (2023 est.)
• Social media users (age 13+): ~192,000 people
  • ≈74% of residents age 13+; ≈62% of total population
  • Adults (18+) using social media: ~173,000 (≈72% of adults)

Age groups (share of each age group using social media)

• 13–17: ~95%
• 18–29: ~84%
• 30–49: ~81%
• 50–64: ~73%
• 65+: ~45%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~53% female, ~47% male
• Platform skews: TikTok and Snapchat lean female (≈57–60% female); Instagram slightly female; Facebook slightly female; X (Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn lean male (≈57–65% male)

Most‑used platforms locally (share of social media users; rounded counts)

• YouTube: 83% (160k)
• Facebook: 68% (131k)
• Instagram: 47% (90k)
• TikTok: 33% (63k)
• Pinterest: 33% (63k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (58k)
• Snapchat: 27% (52k)
• WhatsApp: 21% (40k)
• X (Twitter): 20% (38k)
• Reddit: 18% (35k)
• Nextdoor: used by roughly 30% of households; strong presence in suburban/HOA neighborhoods Notes: Platform audiences overlap; counts are not mutually exclusive.

Behavioral trends in McHenry County

• Facebook is the default local network: heavy use of city/township, school, and buy/sell/garage‑sale groups; strong Marketplace activity for home/garden, kids’ gear, and autos.
• Short‑form video drives discovery: TikTok and Instagram Reels are key for restaurants, fitness, home services; cross‑posted clips perform well on Facebook.
• Neighborhood talk lives on Nextdoor: public safety, code enforcement, contractor recommendations, lost & found; older homeowners and HOAs are especially active.
• Messaging is the conversion path: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs for appointments and quotes; WhatsApp concentrated among Hispanic/immigrant households.
• Daypart patterns: morning scroll 6–8 a.m., lunch 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., prime 8–10 p.m.; weekend spikes for events, family activities, and parks/recreation content.
• Trust and social proof: local reviews and user‑generated content outperform polished creative; school, park district, and youth sports content earns outsized engagement.
• Commuter effect: many residents work in greater Chicagoland; LinkedIn and X see weekday work‑hour use, with evenings/weekends shifting to family and community content.

Method notes and sources

• Population and age mix: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS/Census, 2023 estimates).
• Adoption and platform usage rates: Pew Research Center 2023–2024 and DataReportal U.S. benchmarks applied to McHenry County’s population; Nextdoor household penetration from company disclosures.
• Figures are rounded, county‑level estimates suitable for planning and audience sizing.