Groceries and convenience · County · Illinois
Grocery and convenience stores in McHenry County, IL
How McHenry County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #176 of 2,402 scored counties
#4 of 85 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 142
- 61 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- +11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $794.1M
- On groceries · $6,753 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 65% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.1
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,751
- +2.5% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in McHenry County
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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
McHenry County scores 80 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #176 of 2,402 scored counties and #4 of 85 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.
At $6,753 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in McHenry County spend about $794.1M a year on groceries. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 65% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 142 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in McHenry County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.1, 35% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 67 businesses with payroll in McHenry County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,755 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $963K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in McHenry County. Population estimates put the population change in McHenry County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | 12.1 | 15.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,755 | 1,442 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.7% | +4.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,753 | $6,290 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $104,802 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 60 → 67+11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,125
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 69Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14261 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 234The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $963K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores 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 cardGrocery and convenience stores across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for grocery and convenience stores, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kendall County, IL | 94 | 46 | 10.1 | $6.8M | +9.9% | #14 of 2,402 |
| 2Grundy County, IL | 83 | 33 | 16.0 | $4M | +2.9% | #135 of 2,402 |
| 3Will County, IL | 81 | 307 | 12.6 | $5.4M | +2.2% | #156 of 2,402 |
| 4McHenry County, IL | 80 | 142 | 12.1 | $5.6M | +2.5% | #176 of 2,402 |
| 5Monroe County, IL | 79 | 22 | 15.9 | $4.2M | −0.3% | #204 of 2,402 |
| 6Boone County, IL | 77 | 18 | 9.2 | $6.8M | +0.4% | #234 of 2,402 |
| 7Kane County, IL | 76 | 260 | 14.1 | $4.8M | +1.8% | #261 of 2,402 |
| 8Tazewell County, IL | 75 | 72 | 13.3 | $4.6M | −0.9% | #287 of 2,402 |
| 9DeKalb County, IL | 75 | 56 | 14.2 | $4.2M | +1.5% | #292 of 2,402 |
| 10Lake County, IL | 74 | 339 | 13.1 | $5.3M | +0.8% | #309 of 2,402 |
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
- Grocery and convenience stores80
- Grocery stores76
- Convenience stores85
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in McHenry County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 142 grocery and convenience stores in McHenry County. 61 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. Another 69 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on groceries?
About $794.1M a year, or $6,753 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 142 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5.6M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
McHenry County has 12.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $5.6M, 65% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, McHenry County would have about 234, against 142 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,755 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% 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 80 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #176 of 2,402 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 grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores · 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.