Housing data for Cowden, IL
Cowden, IL has an estimated 534 residents and 227 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a village in Shelby County.
36.1% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $698 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 534 (±152)
- Housing units
- 227 (±55)
- Households that rent
- 36.1%
- Median gross rent
- $698
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +1.7%
What stands out in Cowden
Households that rent: 36.1% (±12.7 points) in Cowden, higher than in Shelby County (21.6%).
Median home value: $77,000 (±$9,447) in Cowden, lower than in Shelby County ($137,100).
Median real estate taxes: $1,181 (±$310) in Cowden, lower than in Shelby County ($2,063).
Average commute: 28.5 minutes (±3.9) in Cowden, higher than in Shelby County (20.8 minutes).
Housing in Cowden at a glance
- Median rent: $698 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $735 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 32.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 36.1% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $62,031 median household income
- Home values: $77,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $988 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,181 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 5.7% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 50.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 71.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 68.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 28.5 minutes average trip to work (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crime reported to police: 0 violent crimes per 100,000 residents (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Growth: +1.7% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- How long people stay: 17.5% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 3.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Cowden against Shelby County, its state and the nation
| Cowden | Shelby County | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 534 (±152) | 20,720 (exact) | 12,694,798 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 227 (±55) | 10,060 (±36) | 5,457,452 (±471) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 36.1% (±12.7 points) | 21.6% (±2.3 points) | 32.9% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $698 (±$331) | $814 (±$91) | $1,274 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $62,031 (±$10,852) | $72,095 (±$4,523) | $83,390 (±$362) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $77,000 (±$9,447) | $137,100 (±$8,548) | $263,300 (±$797) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,181 (±$310) | $2,063 (±$171) | $5,298 (±$22) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 71.8% (±18.2 points) | 66.8% (±4.8 points) | 63.4% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 28.5 minutes (±3.9) | 20.8 minutes (±1.5) | 27.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 87.3% (±10.2 points) | 88.6% (±1.9 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 32.4 years (±9.0) | 45.3 years (±0.3) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Cowden covers 0.4 square miles of land, about 1,328 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Cowden has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 525 (±118) | 534 (±152) | +1.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 241 (±47) | 227 (±55) | −5.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $764 (±$107) | $698 (±$331) | −8.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $62,700 (±$11,255) | $77,000 (±$9,447) | +22.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $36,250 (±$9,327) | $62,031 (±$10,852) | +71.1% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $788 (±$85) | $988 (±$116) | +25.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,241 (±$274) | $1,181 (±$310) | −4.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 31.9% (±9.3 points) | 36.1% (±12.7 points) | +4.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 8.1% (±12.3 points) | 0.0% (±36.9 points) | −8.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Cowden
In 2024, the Cowden Police Department reported 0 violent and 0 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Shelby County, the departments that report recorded 84 violent and 289 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Cowden
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Point Township | 0.3 mi | $720 | $107,500 | 22.6% |
| Lakewood Township | 4.3 mi | — | $212,200 | 7.9% |
| Beecher City | 5.8 mi | $596 | $90,800 | 47.9% |
| Holland Township | 5.9 mi | — | $105,600 | 0.0% |
| Bowling Green Township | 6.0 mi | — | $131,300 | 10.0% |
| Herrick Township | 6.0 mi | $850 | $100,800 | 11.1% |
| Cold Spring Township | 6.7 mi | — | $194,900 | 18.0% |
| Liberty Township (Effingham County) | 7.0 mi | $750 | $91,800 | 47.0% |
Places in Illinois most like Cowden
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort Township (Franklin County) | $669 | $89,900 | $57,250 | 33.0% |
| Pocahontas | $759 | $96,200 | $53,971 | 31.6% |
| South Roxana | $856 | $88,700 | $60,214 | 32.5% |
| Ridge Farm | $690 | $73,200 | $50,313 | 30.1% |
| Virginia | $700 | $93,100 | $59,375 | 34.7% |
| Mount Carroll | $785 | $86,600 | $58,500 | 28.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Illinois.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Cowden, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $659 | $766 | $946 | $1,127 | $1,400 |
HUD income limits for Cowden, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $19,200 | $32,000 | $51,200 |
| 2 people | $21,950 | $36,600 | $58,500 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $41,150 | $65,800 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $45,700 | $73,100 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $49,400 | $78,950 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $53,050 | $84,800 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $56,700 | $90,650 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $60,350 | $96,500 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Shelby County, IL, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $91,400.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Cowden
How many renters are there in Cowden?
Cowden has an estimated 74 (±37) renting households, 36.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Cowden?
The median household income in Cowden is $62,031 (±$10,852) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Cowden, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $77,000 (±$9,447) for owner-occupied homes in Cowden (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Cowden?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Cowden, IL is $988 (±$116) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Cowden?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Cowden, IL is $1,181 (±$310) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Cowden?
Cowden, IL has an estimated 227 (±55) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Cowden growing?
In Cowden, the number of residents went from 525 in 2015–2019 to 534 in 2020–2024 (+1.7%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cowden village, Illinois
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Shelby County, IL
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Shelby County, IL
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Cowden Police Department (ORI IL0870600)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Cowden village, Illinois (place:17055, in state:17).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .