McHenry County
McHenry County is a county government in northeastern Illinois, established in 1836, providing public safety, health, planning, transportation, and administrative services to its residents and businesses, funded primarily through property taxes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1836
- HeadquartersWoodstock, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What McHenry County does
McHenry County is a county government and political subdivision of the State of Illinois, established in 1836 and headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois. The county operates as a jurisdictional monopoly delivering a broad portfolio of mandated public services to approximately 310,000 residents across nine County Board districts, including unincorporated areas and municipalities. Service delivery is organized across approximately 30 departments and divisions, with major functional areas including the Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management (public safety), Health Department and Mental Health Board (public health), Planning & Development with its online Permit Portal (land use and permitting), Division of Transportation (infrastructure), Valley Hi Nursing Home (senior care), Workforce Network (employment services), GIS (geospatial data), E-911 (emergency dispatch), and traditional county offices for assessments, treasurer, circuit clerk, recorder, and court services.
The underlying technology platform is a conventional government operations stack rather than an integrated software product suite. Core components include interactive GIS maps (property search, zoning, crime mapping, road closures, TIF districts), the SmartGov 24/7 online permit portal, the Questica OpenBook interactive budget transparency portal, a video Meeting Portal streaming County Board and committee meetings, and standard property/records systems. The business model is tax-funded: property tax levies are the primary revenue stream, supplemented by federal ARPA funding (a one-time $59,781,491 allocation), state intergovernmental revenue, and transactional service fees for building permits, marriage licenses, passport services, recording fees, and court fees.
The county's go-to-market posture is non-commercial — services are mandatory within the jurisdiction — but it actively pursues economic development through a public/private partnership with the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), participates in the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership across seven northeastern Illinois counties, operates a designated Enterprise Zone, and shares a brand with Naturally McHenry County for tourism. The county has completed five strategic plans since 1999, with the most recent covering 2025–2028, and was awarded the GFOA FY 2026 Budget Award for budget excellence and the 2015 Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award, reflecting a 43% reduction in electricity consumption since 2008 and adoption of solar, EV charging, water conservation, and LED infrastructure.
McHenry County firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- McHenry County
- Legal name
- McHenry County, Illinois
- Website
- https://mchenrycountyil.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1836
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- McHenry County is a county government in northeastern Illinois, established in 1836, providing public safety, health, planning, transportation, and administrative services to its residents and businesses, funded primarily through property taxes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
McHenry County industry classification
Industry- Product category
- County Government Administration
- NAICS
- Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), County/District/Local Health Departments (HLAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where McHenry County is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodstock
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
McHenry County business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Property Taxes: Primary revenue source for county operations funded through property tax levies
- Federal ARPA Funding: American Rescue Plan Act allocation of $59,781,491 for COVID-19 public health emergency response and economic recovery
- Service Fees: Various service fees including building permits, marriage licenses, passport services, recording fees, and court fees
- Intergovernmental Revenue: State funding, grants from Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and shared revenue
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | FOIA Request Fees |
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
McHenry County product offering
Product offeringCore offering
McHenry County is a county government entity providing mandated public services to residents and businesses within its jurisdiction. Core offerings include public safety (Sheriff, E-911, Emergency Management), court administration, property tax assessment and collection, public health, planning and development (building permits, zoning, stormwater), transportation infrastructure, mental health services, workforce development, and senior care through Valley Hi Nursing Home.
Product overview
McHenry County government provides a broad portfolio of public services organized as a platform of interconnected departments and divisions. Core service areas include Planning & Development (with Building Division, Community Development, Planning/Zoning/Land Use, Water Resources, and an online Permit Portal for 24/7 permit management), Health Department (preventive health, environmental health, animal control), Workforce Network (employment services, job training), Mental Health Board (community mental health oversight), Valley Hi Nursing Home (senior care), Geographic Information System (GIS mapping and property search), E-911 Emergency System, Emergency Management, and traditional county services including assessments, circuit clerk, sheriff, and treasurer. The county also provides an interactive Questica OpenBook budget portal for transparent financial reporting. The services operate as distinct departmental functions under unified county governance rather than an integrated software product suite.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Naturally McHenry County: Tourism bureau that has adopted a shared brand with McHenry County
- McHenry County Economic Development Corporation
Products and services
- Planning & Development Department Directs orderly development through implementation and enforcement of plans, ordinances, and County Board policies. Handles building permits, community development, planning/zoning/land use, water resources, and subdivision review for unincorporated McHenry County.
- Health Department Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 43% reduction in electricity consumption since 2008
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use McHenry County
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
McHenry County technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
McHenry County partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)corePublic/private partnership where MCEDC performs economic development functions for the county, providing focused attention and expertise to promote development and support municipal economic development efforts.
- Naturally McHenry CountycoreTourism bureau with shared brand identity with McHenry County to maximize visibility of tourism industry and county attractions.
- World Business ChicagocoreManages the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership covering all seven counties of northeastern Illinois, promoting the region's assets internationally.
- Greater Chicagoland Economic PartnershipmajorEconomic development partnership across northeastern Illinois united around shared principles for regional cooperation and joint economic activities.
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic OpportunitycoreState agency providing economic development resources, grants, and programs for county businesses and development projects.
- Upper Illinois River Valley Development AuthoritymajorRegional development authority supporting economic growth in the upper Illinois River Valley region.
- Environmental Defenders of McHenry CountyminorLocal environmental organization that provided a grant for electric vehicle charging stations at the courthouse.
- ComEd (Commonwealth Edison)minorUtility company that contributed funding through the Powering Safe Communities grant for electric vehicle charging station installation.
- McHenry County Enterprise ZonemajorDesignated enterprise zone providing incentives for business development and investment in the county.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
McHenry County competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lake County, Illinois: Lake County is a suburban Chicago-area Illinois county government with comparable structures (Sheriff, Health Department, Transportation, Planning, GIS) and overlapping population base. Comparable to McHenry in service mix, governance model, and reliance on property taxes.
- Winnebago County, Illinois: Winnebago County (Rockford metro area) is a similarly-sized Illinois county government providing directly comparable services including Sheriff, courts, public health, planning, and transportation. Closest population-scale peer to McHenry.
- DeKalb County, Illinois: DeKalb County is an adjacent west-of-McHenry Illinois county with similar statutory county functions and student/tourism population dynamics. Comparable in service portfolio and governance structure.
- Kane County, Illinois: Kane County is an adjacent suburban Illinois county with similar departmental structure including County Board, Sheriff, courts, public health, and transportation. Comparable size and citizen services portfolio to McHenry.
- Will County, Illinois: Will County is an adjacent Illinois collar county that shares McHenry's residential-suburban tax base dynamics and similar departmental functions (Recorder, Assessor, Health, Public Works). Directly comparable in service offering and revenue model.
- Boone County, Illinois: Boone County is an adjacent, more rural Illinois county providing the same statutory county services. Comparable in structure though with a smaller population base and lower revenue profile.
- DuPage County, Illinois: DuPage County is a larger adjacent Illinois county government operating the same statutory county functions (assessments, recorder, sheriff, courts, planning). Comparable in structure though serving a denser, more urbanized population.
Broad incumbents
- Cook County, Illinois: Cook County is the much larger Illinois county that contains Chicago and operates the same statutory county functions at massive scale (Cook County Health, Forest Preserves, Assessor). Comparable in categorical mandate though substantially broader in scope and budget.
Regional players
- Lake County, Indiana: Lake County, Indiana is a cross-state regional peer in the greater Chicago/northwest-Indiana metro operating similar county government functions. Comparable in role though subject to a different state regulatory and tax framework.
Others
- National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo is the national membership organization representing all U.S. counties. Adjacent enabler/ecosystem participant providing research, advocacy, and best-practice dissemination relevant to McHenry County's operations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
McHenry County social profiles
Digital presenceMcHenry County financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
McHenry County leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
McHenry County funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
McHenry County M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about McHenry County
What does McHenry County do?
McHenry County is a county government entity providing mandated public services to residents and businesses within its jurisdiction. Core offerings include public safety (Sheriff, E-911, Emergency Management), court administration, property tax assessment and collection, public health, planning and development (building permits, zoning, stormwater), transportation infrastructure, mental health services, workforce development, and senior care through Valley Hi Nursing Home.
Is McHenry County a public or private company?
McHenry County is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was McHenry County founded?
McHenry County was founded in 1836. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is McHenry County based?
McHenry County is headquartered in Woodstock, United States, in the North America region.
How does McHenry County make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Property Taxes are the primary driver. The others are federal ARPA Funding, service Fees and intergovernmental Revenue.
Who are McHenry County's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lake County, Illinois, Winnebago County, Illinois, DeKalb County, Illinois, Kane County, Illinois, Will County, Illinois, Boone County, Illinois and DuPage County, Illinois. Cook County, Illinois is listed as a broad incumbent. Lake County, Indiana is listed as a regional player. National Association of Counties (NACo) is listed as an others.
Does McHenry County have an API?
No public API is recorded for McHenry County.
What industry is McHenry County in?
McHenry County's product category is County Government Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAK, Local Public Health & Human Services Administration, with a secondary code of BPAIACAF, Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities). Its NAICS code is 922 and its SIC code is 6199.