Child care · County · Illinois
Child care centers and preschools in McHenry County, IL
The child care centers and preschools in McHenry County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #363 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 43 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 59
- 13 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- −6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $571 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,751
- +2.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in McHenry County
The site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of McHenry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 59 child care centers and preschools in McHenry County. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.0, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in McHenry County comes to about $67.2M a year: $571 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per center, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in McHenry County was 67 in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,755 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 290 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in McHenry County.
Population estimates show McHenry County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in McHenry County is 66 (upper middle), #363 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 43 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McHenry County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all child care and other personal services by the child care centers and preschools counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | McHenry County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $946K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,755 | 1,605 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.9% | +4.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $571 | $489 | $581 |
| Median household income | $104,802 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 67−6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,003
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 290Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5913 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in McHenry County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in McHenry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,751+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 117,594
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 603 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 518
- Median household income
- $104,802+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $130,520
- Median home value
- $308,100
- Jobs located here
- 93,473
- Daytime population
- 243,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McHenry County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the child care centers and preschools on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of McHenry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardChild care and preschools across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Illinois, with McHenry County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Grundy County, IL | 77 | 8 | 3.9 | $1.3M | +2.9% | #130 of 1,611 |
| 2Boone County, IL | 72 | 7 | 3.6 | $1.3M | +0.4% | #212 of 1,611 |
| 3Kane County, IL | 68 | 100 | 5.4 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #316 of 1,611 |
| 4McHenry County, IL | 66 | 59 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +2.5% | #363 of 1,611 |
| 5Will County, IL | 64 | 149 | 6.1 | $970K | +2.2% | #432 of 1,611 |
| 6McLean County, IL | 61 | 31 | 4.4 | $1M | +0.1% | #513 of 1,611 |
| 7Kendall County, IL | 60 | 37 | 8.2 | $710K | +9.9% | #560 of 1,611 |
| 8Sangamon County, IL | 59 | 30 | 3.5 | $1.2M | −1.0% | #566 of 1,611 |
| 9Madison County, IL | 59 | 43 | 3.9 | $1.1M | −1.0% | #568 of 1,611 |
| 10LaSalle County, IL | 59 | 18 | 4.0 | $986K | −1.5% | #574 of 1,611 |
Other business types in McHenry County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools66
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in McHenry County, IL?
McHenry County has 59 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019. Another 290 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $67.2M a year, or $571 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 117,594 households in McHenry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McHenry County, IL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
McHenry County has 5.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, McHenry County would have about 67, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,755 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is McHenry County, IL growing?
Population estimates put McHenry County at 317,751 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,594 households. The median household income in McHenry County is $104,802 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. McHenry County scores 66 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #363 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McHenry County. It maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for child care centers and preschools · All 56 business types in McHenry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McHenry County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of McHenry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.