Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Senior Demographics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff: 25% of McHenry County seniors live alone; rent-burden affects more than half of senior renters
Summary
County staff told the commission that McHenry County's senior population is growing, about one-quarter of seniors live alone, and 53.4% of senior renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent — a standard measure of rent burden.
County staff presented demographic data drawn from CMAP, the U.S. Census American Community Survey and a data platform called MySidewalk, saying McHenry County has a growing senior population and that many older residents live alone. "25% of our seniors live alone," a presenter told commissioners while reviewing county graphs and case examples of increased calls for assistance.
Staff and commissioners discussed local patterns and comparisons with neighboring counties and municipalities, with one commissioner noting that Crystal Lake and parts of McHenry Township have concentrated senior populations. On housing costs, a commissioner cited a key metric: "percentage of seniors that are spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent was 53.4%," underscoring high rent burden among senior renters. Commissioners asked staff to share the flyer and underlying data with local constituencies and to provide county-by-county comparisons when available.
