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Compare towns

McHenry vs Addison

32 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+28% in Addison) and rent (+25% in McHenry).

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McHenry, ILHomes around $315KIllinois · 28,074 people
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Addison, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 35,489 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $330 more a month in Addison

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

McHenry$2,290/mo
Typical home $315K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.42% · or rent about $1,553/mo · Housing →
Addison$2,620/mo
Typical home $381K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.95% · or rent about $1,245/mo · Housing →

The difference: $330 a month, about $4,000 a year, between Addison and McHenry.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

McHenry places higher on 12 of 22 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
McHenryAddison
Snow a year35″42″
January low13°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)162d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd23rd
Outdoors & history
McHenryAddison
Trails8 mi7 mi
Conserved land3.2%11.5%
Settled18721839
National Register places2—
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—8
Community
McHenryAddison
Library hours a week66 hrs66 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

32 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

McHenry ↔ Addison32 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

McHenryAddison
People
Population 28,074Lowest 35,489Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.5%Highest -3.4%Lowest
Median age 43.9±2.1Highest 13% above IL 40.8±1.8Lowest 5% above IL
McHenry and Addison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.8%±2.3Highest IL: 21.8% 19.5%±2Lowest IL: 21.8%
McHenry and Addison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.3%±2.1Highest IL: 17% 16.9%±1.5Lowest IL: 17%
McHenry and Addison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Highest IL: 37.8% 23.7%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.9%±1.3Lowest IL: 6.3% 6.8%±1.2Highest IL: 6.3%
Addison and McHenry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $86,315±$6kLowest 4% above IL $90,431±$5kHighest 8% above IL
Addison and McHenry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $266,500±$9kLowest about the IL average $341,300±$9kHighest 30% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,553±$110Highest 22% above IL $1,245±$55Lowest about the IL average
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,456Lowest 22% above IL $6,662Highest 26% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±7.9Highest IL: 47.9% 36.5%±8.1Lowest IL: 47.9%
McHenry and Addison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 8.7%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.4%Highest IL: 67.1% 67%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 17 yrs newer than IL 1972Lowest 1 yr newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 4% above IL 26 minLowest 8% below IL
Work from home 14.1%±2.8Highest IL: 15.9% 12.5%±2.5Lowest IL: 15.9%
McHenry and Addison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 12.7%Highest 9.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.03Lowest 1.53Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (8%)Chicago (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AddisonFew work in McHenry
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Lowest 11.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.7 miHighest 7.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 30Highest 29Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 55.0Lowest 78.8Highest
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

McHenry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to McHenry’s Town Square.

Addison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Addison’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering McHenry

Towns like McHenry

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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