Township · Illinois

Erie Township, Illinois

Erie Township, township, in Whiteside County, Illinois. Erie Township had 1,842 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.3% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,879 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,930 (±324). GEOID 1719524387.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

1,842

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,879 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,930 ±324

Median household income

$82,426

±$26,864 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$157,100

±$7,025 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$800

±$179 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

Where is Erie Township and what county is it in?

Erie Township is a township in Whiteside County, Illinois. It covers 24.0 square miles of land, 78 residents per square mile in 2020.

One place lies inside Erie Township: Erie (village, 1,518 in 2020).

Erie Township is in the Sterling, IL micropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).

Erie Township (marked with a dot) in Whiteside County, Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Erie Township, and is it growing?

The Census Bureau estimates that 1,842 people lived in Erie Township on July 1, 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020 Census counted 1,879 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,930 (±324).

  • July 2020→2021 −8 (1,873)
  • 2021→2022 −27 (1,846)
  • 2022→2023 −3 (1,843)
  • 2023→2024 −1 (1,842)
  • 2024→2025 +0 (1,842)
ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (counts) with the change from 2015-2019
MeasureErie TownshipWhiteside CountyIllinoisChange since 2015-2019
Total population1,930±32454,94712,694,798no clear change
Households894±16623,1205,036,449no clear change
Average household size2.16±0.212.332.46no clear change
Housing units922±16425,8375,457,452no clear change

Erie Township's population since 2000

From 2,014 in 2000 to 1,842 in 2025: down 8.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Erie Township 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.

  • 2000 Census 2,014
  • 2005 (estimate) 1,988
  • 2010 Census 2,006
  • 2015 (estimate) 1,949
  • 2020 Census 1,879
  • 2025 (estimate) 1,842

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 Erie Township?

The median resident of Erie Township is 42.3 years old; 29.6% are under 18 and 18.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 93.9%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 3.2%.

Age, origin, education and moves, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
MeasureErie TownshipWhiteside CountyIllinoisChange since 2015-2019
Median age42.3±1.243.039.0no clear change
Under 18 years29.6%±4.8 pts22.0%21.8%–
65 years and over18.5%±6.1 pts21.8%17.0%–
Male49.0%±3.7 pts49.9%49.4%–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)0.9%±0.9 pts13.3%18.8%–
White alone, not Hispanic93.9%±3.2 pts80.9%58.1%no clear change
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic0.1%±0.2 pts1.2%13.3%–
Asian alone, not Hispanic0.4%±0.4 pts0.5%5.9%–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic0.3%±0.4 pts0.0%0.1%–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.9 pts0.0%0.0%–
Two or more races, not Hispanic3.2%±2.6 pts3.6%3.4%–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic1.3%±1.5 pts0.4%0.4%–
Born outside the United States0.5%±0.4 pts3.0%14.7%–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)0.2%±0.3 pts7.2%24.0%–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)5.1%±2.1 pts8.1%4.8%–
With a disability10.4%±3.6 pts15.2%12.1%–
No health insurance coverage13.1%±11.5 pts5.0%6.9%–
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)94.5%±3.3 pts91.9%90.5%–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)21.4%±5.5 pts20.5%37.8%no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)7.8%±3.2 pts7.7%15.3%–
Lived in the same house a year earlier97.4%±1.6 pts92.4%88.9%–
Moved from another state in the past year0.5%±0.6 pts1.5%1.6%–

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 Erie Township earn?

Half of Erie Township's 894 households earn less than $82,426 a year (±$26,864), against $67,500 in Whiteside County and $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $73,933 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 3.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; 2015-2019 dollars adjusted with the R-CPI-U-RS
MeasureErie TownshipWhiteside CountyIllinoisChange since 2015-2019
Median household income$82,426±$26,864$67,500$83,390no clear change
Mean household income$91,902±$9,277$86,592$115,638–
Per capita income$40,406±$5,529$37,312$46,406no clear change
People below the poverty line3.1%±1.9 pts12.0%11.8%–
Children under 18 below the poverty line0.9%±1.5 pts17.7%15.1%–
Households receiving SNAP3.8%±3.0 pts14.1%13.8%–
Households with a computer90.6%±8.7 pts93.3%95.2%–
Households with a broadband subscription87.8%±9.1 pts86.7%90.8%–

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 Erie Township?

Owners occupy 75.1% of Erie Township's occupied homes and renters 24.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $157,100 by its owner (±$7,025). The median renter pays $800 a month including utilities.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Home values are owners' own estimates.
MeasureErie TownshipWhiteside CountyIllinoisChange since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)$157,100±$7,025$127,100$263,300no clear change
Median gross rent$800±$179$856$1,274no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent27.1%±18.2 pts37.1%39.0%–
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage$1,211±$105$1,216$1,987–
Owner-occupied homes75.1%±11.9 pts76.9%67.1%no clear change
Renter-occupied homes24.9%±11.9 pts23.1%32.9%–
Housing units922±16425,8375,457,452no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate0.0%±5.4 pts1.8%1.0%–
Rental vacancy rate6.3%±11.4 pts8.4%5.0%–
Single-family detached homes90.0%±5.0 pts81.5%58.2%–
Mobile homes0.0%±4.0 pts2.3%2.3%–
Built 2020 or later0.0%±4.0 pts0.3%0.7%–
Built 2010 to 20190.8%±0.9 pts3.3%5.0%–
Built 1939 or earlier20.5%±7.0 pts25.3%20.2%–
Households with no vehicle1.6%±2.4 pts5.8%11.0%–

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 Erie Township work and get to work?

90.7% of Erie Township's workers drive alone and 4.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 19.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (workers 16 and over)
MeasureErie TownshipWhiteside CountyIllinoisChange since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)66.1%±7.9 pts61.9%65.0%–
Unemployment rate5.7%±2.9 pts4.4%5.8%–
Drove alone to work90.7%±4.2 pts80.8%65.9%–
Carpooled4.1%±2.9 pts8.6%7.8%–
Public transportation0.0%±4.2 pts0.3%5.8%–
Walked0.5%±0.8 pts2.7%2.8%–
Worked from home4.6%±2.9 pts6.1%15.9%–
Mean travel time to work19.9 min±2.520.3 min27.8 min−3.5 min

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 Erie Township?

No census tract lies mostly in Erie Township; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).

Census tracts in Erie Township, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractResidents, 2020-2024Median household incomeMedian home valueShare of tract in Erie Township
Tract 6Whiteside County3,742 $78,273 $159,80028%
Tract 7Whiteside County2,737 $75,000 $152,4001%

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 Erie Township) · Census block assignment files

How does Erie Township compare with other places in Illinois?

By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Erie Township is the 5,162nd-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 464th-most populous of 1,407 in Illinois.

Erie Township ranks 597th of 1,380 places in Illinois with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.

Erie Township's rank in Illinois (1 = highest): by population among the state's towns and townships with a 2025 estimate; by the other measures among places of 1,000+ residents with a reliable estimate
MeasureRankOf
Population, July 2025 estimate464th1,407
Growth 2020-2025 (PEP)763rd1,347
Residents per square mile1,063rd1,383
Median household income597th1,380
Per capita income591st1,383
Median home value773rd1,379
Median gross rent966th1,280
Poverty rate1,079th1,119
Bachelor's degree or higher806th1,369
Median age546th1,383
Owner-occupied share823rd1,382
Work from home974th1,015
Travel time to work1,153rd1,382

Erie Township's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)

Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare Erie Township 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 Erie Township?

23 of the 57 figures for Erie Township 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 Erie Township 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' school search.