City · McHenry County, Illinois

Harvard, Illinois

Harvard is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. It has 9,598 residents. Harvard, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 50 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,840 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #327 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), violent crime rate (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), days with unhealthy air (high) and unemployment rate (high).

50Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,840 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #327 of 697 in IL
Population: 9,598 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 1,145.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 1733331

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety99#151/15,637
Economy33#10,523/15,631
Housing49#7,603/14,977
Health69#4,781/15,609
Healthcare59#6,407/15,650
Environment18#12,730/15,453
Education36#10,048/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,398/15,650
Community66#5,353/15,651
Leisure & amenities61#6,093/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Harvard, Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “McHenry County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Illinois 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMcHenry County value
Violent crime rate · low60 /100k
95/100Illinois 251 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMcHenry County value
Drug overdose deaths · low6.7 /100k
94/100Illinois 14.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMcHenry County value
Injury deaths · low56 /100k
92/100Illinois 80 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcHenry County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Illinois 6.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMcHenry County value
Property crime rate · low521 /100k
88/100Illinois 1,508 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMcHenry County value

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.40%
2/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · high3.3%
12/100Illinois 4.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMcHenry County value
Unemployment rate · high7.6%
19/100Illinois 4.6%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Social associations · low6.8 /10k
19/100Illinois 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMcHenry County value
Food insecurity · high21.8%
22/100Illinois 16.5%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · high23.1%
24/100Illinois 18.9%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

High school diploma or higherImproving
69.8% (2015-2019) → 83.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
New homes permittedImproving
0.5 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+58%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
10.7% (2015-2019) → 18.7% (2020-2024)
+8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$53,362 (2015-2019) → $67,617 (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
14.3% (2015-2019) → 10.4% (2020-2024)
−4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateImproving
22.8% (2015-2019) → 19.6% (2020-2024)
−3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Harvard, Illinois improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

High school++13 points69.8% → 83.2%
Bachelor's++8.1 points10.7% → 18.7%
Household income+27%$53,362 → $67,617

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Harvard, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.9 min2015-2019	26.2 min2020-2024	−4.7 min	Within the margin of error	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.7%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	+8.1 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	86.5%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Child poverty rate	22.8%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	2.89%2015-2019	2.40%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	90%
High school diploma or higher	69.8%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	98%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	64%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3902015-2019	0.3802020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$53,3622015-2019	$67,6172020-2024	+27%	Improved	48%
Poverty rate	14.1%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent as share of income	31.0%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	52.5%2015-2019	54.5%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Unemployment rate	9.3%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.3%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	82%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Harvard, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Harvard, Illinois in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Harvard, Illinois itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,598 residents (±612)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,125 households (±292)

Harvard, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k14%†452
$25k–50k23%†707
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,125 households (±292)

Harvard, Illinois
Illinois share

Own60%1,865
Rent40%1,260

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,465 workers (±498)

Harvard, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone72%3,209
Carpool16%†728
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of McHenry County, the county holding most of Harvard's residents.

McHenry County has 8,140 employer establishments, 260 for every 10,000 residents (1.05× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Illinois's), with 87,684 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,868. The Census Bureau also counts 27,257 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,140; 27,257 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 260; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 87,684
Average annual pay: $54,868; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of McHenry County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	754	24.1	1.55×More than typical	4,526	$82,738	1,943
Ambulatory health care services	630	20.1	0.96×About typical	6,440	$69,802	974
Restaurants and other eating places	537	17.1	0.93×About typical	9,336	$21,125	90
Truck transportation	413	13.2	2.61×More than typical	916	$57,088	1,569
Services to buildings and dwellings	403	12.9	1.91×More than typical	1,837	$53,884	1,356
Construction of buildings	345	11	1.46×More than typical	998	$68,815	999
Building equipment contractors	287	9.2	1.52×More than typical	1,951	$84,564	389
Landscaping services	271	8.6	2.47×More than typical	760	$78,582	360
Offices of other health practitioners	262	8.4	1.38×More than typical	1,424	$46,114	543
Full-service restaurants	244	7.8	1.01×About typical	4,407	$22,541	34
Automotive repair and maintenance	243	7.8	1.54×More than typical	1,287	$50,020	346
Lessors of real estate	239	7.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	580	$49,434	2,493

Rank places for an industry Open McHenry County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 313,421 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $255K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Harvard, Illinois: $26.56 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $255K; −64% vs FY2025
Per resident: $26.56; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$159.6K63%
Department of Veterans Affairs$87.4K34%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$4,0851.6%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$3,8901.5%

Top recipients

PROALLIANCE CORP$250.9K98%
PET PARADISE CORP$4,0851.6%

Spending by fiscal year

14.1KFY2017
21.3KFY2018
22.1KFY2019
26.9KFY2020
114.5KFY2021
145.6KFY2022
180.2KFY2023
179.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4234$161.7K63%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$89.2K35%
Other personal services · 8129$4,0851.6%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Harvard, Illinois, so they do not add up across cities.

Harvard, Illinois's figures are part of those of McHenry County, IL ($11M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Harvard is mostly in McHenry County.

See federal money in McHenry County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Harvard, Illinois is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

McHenry County85100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN66

Other cities and towns in McHenry County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1733331

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends