IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Cowden, IL
Cowden is a tiny town of 534 people in Shelby County, Illinois. It's about 42 miles from Decatur, IL and 86 miles from St. Louis, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 36°F, with about 16 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $77k and rent runs about $698 a month.
534people
$77kTypical home
$698/moRent
86° / 36°Summer / winter
16"Snow
231Sunny days
110Rain/snow days
Is Cowden right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 534
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,328 people per sq mi
- 86 mi to St. Louis, MO
- 42 mi to Decatur, IL
- 19 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $77k (≈$486/mo)
- Median rent $698/mo
- Median household income $62k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 6.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 86°F
- Winter highs around 36°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 66°F)
- 231 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
- 134 cloudy days a year
- 46 of 90 winter days are gray
- 110 days a year with rain or snow
- 16" of snow a year
- 5 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 15 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (63 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (150 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 32
- 35% of households have kids
- 19% are 65 or older
- 14% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to DEC airport
- 88 mi to STL (major hub)
- 19 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 79% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1962
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 607 ft
- 590 mi to the ocean
- 157 mi to a big lake
- 43 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 108 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 7 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 53 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 20 bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 8 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 41 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 16% of Illinois districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 56 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 11 mi to the nearest vet
- 15 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 38 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Shelby County: R+60 in 2024
- Illinois: D+11 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk