Will County is a natural business magnet for many reasons:
- Available, affordable land
- Will County Land Area: 849 square miles
- 13th largest county in the state of Illinois
- 2nd largest in the 6 county Chicago Metro region
- Between 1990 and 2011, Will County added over 100,126 single-family dwelling units (US Census Bureau)
- The construction cost value of single-family building permits issued in Will County jumped from $80.3 million in 1985 to $126.1 million in 2011 (US Census Bureau)
- The total assessed value of all property in Will County decreased 5.1% to $21.792 billion in 2011, down from $22.983 billion in 2010 (Will County Supervisor of Assessments)
- Tremendous highway, rail, water and air transportation accessibility and services
- 5 interstates
- Regional, national and international freight rail connections
- Intercity and commuter rail services
- Situated on the Illinois waterway system
- Minutes from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports and Lewis airport
- Available workforce
- Will County was 41st of the 355 largest counties in the US in employment growth between the 2nd quarter of 2007 and the 2nd quarter of 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Total employment in Will County has increased 75%, from 106,073 in 1985, to 185,235 in 2000
- In 2008, Will County had a total personal income of over $26.3 billion. This aggregate income ranked fourth in the state and accounted for 4.8% of the state total (BEA)
- In 2009, Will County had a per capita personal income of $38,457 (BEA)
- The estimated average effective buying income increased to $67,002 in 2012 from $36,530 in 1985, an increase of 83.5% (Nielsen)
- A tremendous pro-growth attitude among its’ thirty-seven municipalities (24 townships)
- Since the 2000 Census, Will County was estimated to have gained 176,486+ residents, by far the largest numerical increase posted by the state’s 102 counties and one of the highest among the nation’s 3,143 counties (US Census Bureau)
- Will County’s population has more than doubled (adding 372,357 residents) between 1985 and 2012, increasing from 328,511 to 700,868 (Nielsen)
- The U.S. Census Bureau lists Will County as one of the 100 fastest growing and one of the 100 largest counties in the nation
- Will County is set to become the state’s 2nd largest county by 2030, behind only Cook County (US Census Bureau, NIPC and DCEO)
- The Chicago Metropolitan Area Agency for Planning (CMAP) projects that Will County’s population will exceed 1.2+ million by the year 2040
- The number of Will County business establishments exceeded 20,000 in 2010 (Nielsen Claritas)
In 2011, the total amount of industrial square footage was 132,880,184-SF. Additional acreage is designated for a proposed 700-acre intermodal yard and industrial park in Crete.
Neilsen Claritas Report: Will County Demographic Snapshot
Population Forecast: Will County Municipal Populations with projections
Will County Building Permits 1990 through February 2012
U.S. Census 2010 with interactive map and population search.
Illinois Census 2010... state website containing 2010 census data.
American Community Survey (ACS) from the U.S. Census Bureau... an ongoing survey that provides data every year -- you can access statistics thru American FactFinder or Quick Links.
Bearfacts from U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis... facts about an area's personal income and gross domestic product.
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics... data on Employment, Productivity, Price indexes, and Compensation. Also, includes average energy prices in the Chicago area and economic indicators.