Local economic experts agree diversity and the strength of traditional leading industries, such as agriculture and manufacturing, are what separates the labor force in McHenry County from other areas around Chicago.

Still, the county does share characteristics of other suburban areas in Chicago. Most of the county’s labor force commutes outside of the county for work, while the demand for retail keeps growing even in a slow economy.

But the county’s labor force differs from its suburban neighbors in that laborers in McHenry County have strong ties to the agriculture, manufacturing and construction industries, said Jeff Poynter, director of the county’s workforce investment labor board.