Village · Illinois
Bowen, Illinois
Bowen, village, in Hancock County, Illinois. Bowen had 441 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 4.8% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 464 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 552 (±120). GEOID 1707510.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
441
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 464 · ACS 2020-2024: 552 ±120
Median household income
$63,750
±$10,734 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390
Median home value
$80,700
±$13,906 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300
Median gross rent
$579
±$100 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274
Where is Bowen and what county is it in?
Bowen is a village in Hancock County, Illinois. It covers 0.4 square miles of land, 1,084 residents per square mile in 2020.
Bowen lies entirely within Chili Township, a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Bowen, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 441 people lived in Bowen on July 1, 2025, down 4.8% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020 Census counted 464 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 552 (±120).
| Measure | Bowen | Hancock County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 552 ±120 | 17,281 | no clear change |
| Households | 201 ±38 | 7,613 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.75 ±0.35 | 2.23 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 209 ±42 | 8,938 | no clear change |
Bowen's population since 2000
From 535 in 2000 to 441 in 2025: down 17.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Bowen as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Bowen?
The median resident of Bowen is 36.0 years old; 33.2% are under 18 and 15.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 90.9%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 8.9%.
| Measure | Bowen | Hancock County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.0 ±11.3 | 46.9 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 33.2% ±6.7 pts | 21.0% | – |
| 65 years and over | 15.6% ±5.9 pts | 24.6% | – |
| Male | 46.9% ±6.5 pts | 50.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 2.3% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 90.9% ±7.0 pts | 94.0% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.4% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 8.9% ±7.0 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 1.5% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.0% ±7.1 pts | 2.7% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 6.5% ±3.3 pts | 7.1% | – |
| With a disability | 24.7% ±7.8 pts | 22.6% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 2.4% ±1.8 pts | 5.7% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 93.1% ±4.7 pts | 93.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 15.8% ±8.1 pts | 25.1% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.9% ±2.6 pts | 7.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 91.7% ±5.5 pts | 91.0% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.4% ±0.5 pts | 2.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Bowen earn?
Half of Bowen's 201 households earn less than $63,750 a year (±$10,734), against $65,865 in Hancock County and $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $71,204 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Bowen | Hancock County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,750 ±$10,734 | $65,865 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $67,381 ±$9,711 | $83,824 | – |
| Per capita income | $24,317 ±$4,073 | $37,092 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 10.9% ±5.6 pts | 12.3% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 9.3% ±8.4 pts | 15.9% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 25.4% ±9.5 pts | 13.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 91.0% ±6.3 pts | 90.7% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 84.6% ±7.5 pts | 82.4% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Bowen?
Owners occupy 81.6% of Bowen's occupied homes and renters 18.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $80,700 by its owner (±$13,906). The median renter pays $579 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Bowen | Hancock County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $80,700 ±$13,906 | $113,800 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $579 ±$100 | $782 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 27.3% ±25.4 pts | 34.6% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $973 ±$113 | $1,134 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 81.6% ±7.9 pts | 81.3% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 18.4% ±7.9 pts | 18.7% | – |
| Housing units | 209 ±42 | 8,938 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±20.3 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±52.4 pts | 12.1% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 79.4% ±10.3 pts | 82.6% | – |
| Mobile homes | 10.0% ±9.4 pts | 6.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±16.4 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 2.4% ±2.4 pts | 3.7% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 38.3% ±11.1 pts | 31.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 3.0% ±2.8 pts | 5.4% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Bowen work and get to work?
79.3% of Bowen's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 23.7 minutes.
| Measure | Bowen | Hancock County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 63.8% ±9.1 pts | 58.8% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 1.2% ±2.0 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 79.3% ±9.2 pts | 84.7% | – |
| Carpooled | 7.4% ±7.1 pts | 4.8% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±14.3 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 3.3% ±3.0 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Worked from home | 8.7% ±6.0 pts | 7.5% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 23.7 min ±4.4 | 24.1 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Bowen?
No census tract lies mostly in Bowen; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9543Hancock County | 3,655 | $66,288 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Bowen) · Census block assignment files
How does Bowen compare with other places in Illinois?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Bowen is the 13,719th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 902nd-most populous of 1,294 in Illinois.
Bowen is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 902nd | 1,294 |
Bowen's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)
Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare Bowen with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Bowen?
25 of the 57 figures for Bowen on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Bowen are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Bowen.