Manufacturing Strength Comes in Many Sizes
Happy Manufacturing Month, McHenry County.
When someone says “manufacturer,” what do you envision? A big plant with hundreds of people and countless lift trucks traversing the floor, or a small shop with a handful of machinists? If your answer was “all of the above,” you’ve likely spent some time thinking about what makes the economy hum. In McHenry County, we have both large and small manufacturers – and we need both. Every one of these businesses brings good jobs, a skilled labor force, and a chance for someone to build a career close to home. When one size business succeeds, the other benefits. Manufacturing is a key industry in the county and this rich balance is our strength.
About 500 manufacturing locations call McHenry County home and roughly nine in 10 employ fewer than 50 people. These businesses include machine shops, metal fabricators, printers, food makers, and plastics and electronics producers. Small shops make up the majority of manufacturing businesses and their work is spread across many sectors.
As McHenry County’s largest industry by economic output, manufacturing generates nearly $1.9 billion annually. It accounts for approximately 13 percent of local jobs and 14 percent of what we produce, cementing it as a leader in the “making and moving and building” things part of the regional economy.
That output comes from 20 manufacturing subsectors, a dozen of which support at least 300 jobs, from metalworking and machinery to plastics, food, printing, and electronics. No single subsector makes up more than one fifth of manufacturing jobs. McHenry County is also home to dozens of plants that employ 100 people or more. A strong base of large plants and a deep bench of small shops help to keep our local economy steady.
Since 2020, machinery manufacturing employment has grown approximately 8%, outpacing growth in both Illinois and the nation. Fabricated metal product manufacturing, the county’s largest manufacturing subsector, has remained steady. This diversity of subsectors builds economic resilience, enabling stronger sectors to carry the load when others experience slower growth.
Behind each of those numbers is a person who takes pride in making something, whether it’s a precision part, a medical device, or packaged food. They solve problems on the shop floor every day that the rest of us rarely see.
This month, join us in saying thanks. Flip over something you use and see where it was made. Ask a friend who works in a manufacturing plant to describe what their workday looks like. Remind a young person that a rewarding and fulfilling career can be attained by “making things.” And if you know a McHenry County manufacturer who deserves recognition, tell us who they are and why.
To our McHenry County manufacturers, and all the businesses that support them, thank you. Have a great month.
Mark Piekos, Executive Director
Sources: World Business Chicago Research Center; GCEP Research Library; Lightcast 2026 Q3 (jobs by subsector); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (locations, share of jobs, trend); Esri Business List 2026 (locations by size).