McHenry County sees slight growth, less than most other collar counties, census data shows

New census numbers show McHenry County grew slightly over the past decade even as Illinois overall and most counties lost residents – although nearly every other collar county grew more.

The county’s full population grew by 0.5%, or 1,469 residents, which brings the county’s total population to 310,229. Only Kane County to the south grew at a slower rate – 0.2%, bringing its population to 516,522.

It’s also much slower growth than McHenry County saw 10 years ago at the last census. At that point, the county was growing fast – 18.7% from a population of 260,077 in 2000 to 308,760 in 2010.

The county is looking at the numbers from an optimistic view by comparing the county and Chicago area with the rest of the state, which saw population decreases, spokeswoman Alicia Schueller said.

“The final number is a testament to McHenry County being a great place to live and do business,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said in a statement that also touted McHenry County’s high response rate.

Through Schueller, Buehler said it was too early to speculate why the county did not grow as much as other Chicago-area counties.

In towns throughout the county, population changes were mostly small. Some saw large changes, however.

In Huntley, the village’s population grew by 14% with the addition of 3,449 new residents. The change makes Huntley McHenry County’s fourth most populous town with 27,740 residents, up from being the county’s sixth most populous town after the 2010 census.

Huntley has been the center of new residential projects, business or transportation hubs over the past several years. Located just north of Interstate 90 with a major intersection at state Route 47, the town provides easy access to Rockford and Chicago. One of the latest projects in the village is an Amazon warehouse, which is projected to open in 2022 and employ 1,000 people.

Huntley officials were not immediately available for comment Friday.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the village of Spring Grove shrank by 5%, losing 291 residents. It now has a population of 5,487.

The small town located along Route 12 does not have any major employers. However, the town has a high median income of about $123,000 per household, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Spring Grove officials also were not not immediately available for comment Friday.

Lake in the Hills was the town with the least dramatic change. The town added 17 residents over the past decade.

Across northern Illinois, the counties making up Chicago’s suburbs saw the most growth. Lake, Cook and DuPage counties grew by 1.5% to 2%, while Will and Grundy counties grew by 2% to 5%. Kendall County grew the most by 14%, and Kane County saw the least amount of growth at 0.2%.

The census results help government officials at the state and federal level make decisions about how resources are allocated to local governments throughout the country. Public officials worked through 2020 in social media campaigns and other forms of out reach to encourage each resident to get counted, emphasizing the importance of an accurate count to maximize the amount of financial resources local government receive.

County officials said McHenry County had the second highest self-response rate of all of Illinois’ 102 counties. The county said 82.3% of households responded to the Census on their own.

“Answering the census every 10 years is every American’s civic duty, and McHenry County residents rose to meet their responsibility,” board member Michael Vijuk, D-Cary, said in a statement. “In doing so, they made a difference by helping secure the maximum funding our communities receive for social services for people of all ages.”

In addition to distributing resources, the census also helps determine political representation. State lawmakers typically use census data to redraw legislative districts every 10 years, as required by the U.S. Constitution. Illinois lawmakers already drew the state’s new House and Senate districts in the spring using American Community Survey data but have not yet drawn new congressional maps.

Illinois lost more than 18,000 residents since 2010, which means the state will lose a member of Congress beginning in 2023.

The results of the 2020 census were delayed by several months, which Census Bureau officials said was because of the pandemic. The numbers normally are released in the spring.