McHenry County

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.

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

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

• County government services
• Public safety administration
• Property tax assessment
• Land use planning
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodstock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Primary revenue source for county operations funded through property tax levies
2. Federal ARPA Funding: American Rescue Plan Act allocation of $59,781,491 for COVID-19 public health emergency response and economic recovery
3. Service Fees: Various service fees including building permits, marriage licenses, passport services, recording fees, and court fees
4. Intergovernmental Revenue: State funding, grants from Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and shared revenue

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core 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

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic/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 CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism bureau with shared brand identity with McHenry County to maximize visibility of tourism industry and county attractions.
• World Business ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership covering all seven counties of northeastern Illinois, promoting the region's assets internationally.
• Greater Chicagoland Economic PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development partnership across northeastern Illinois united around shared principles for regional cooperation and joint economic activities.
• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic OpportunitycoreOthersState agency providing economic development resources, grants, and programs for county businesses and development projects.
• Upper Illinois River Valley Development AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development authority supporting economic growth in the upper Illinois River Valley region.
• Environmental Defenders of McHenry CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal environmental organization that provided a grant for electric vehicle charging stations at the courthouse.
• ComEd (Commonwealth Edison)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUtility company that contributed funding through the Powering Safe Communities grant for electric vehicle charging station installation.
• McHenry County Enterprise ZonemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated enterprise zone providing incentives for business development and investment in the county.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/mchenrycountyil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpqIfG9Ly88k5kULrUcsjIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/McHenry-County-IL/10150105127170487
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mchenry_county
• Instagraminstagram.com/mchenrycountygovernment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McHenry County