| Official Name: | Barren Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Image Map1: | Map of Illinois highlighting Franklin County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 150px |
| Map Caption1: | Franklin County's location in Illinois |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Franklin |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | November 4, 1884 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.17 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 20.96 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 15.21 |
| Area Water Percent: | 42.06 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 551 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 130 |
| Elevation Ft: | 427 |
| Coordinates: | 38.0869°N -88.9928°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62812, 62884, 62897 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-055-03818 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Barren Township is one of twelve townships in Franklin County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 551 and it contained 248 housing units.[1]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Barren Township has a total area of 36.17sqmi, of which 20.96sqmi (or 57.94%) is land and 15.21sqmi (or 42.06%) is water.[2]
The township contains Hammond Cemetery.
As of the 2020 census there were 551 people, 166 households, and 88 families residing in the township. The population density was 15.23PD/sqmi. There were 248 housing units at an average density of 6.86/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 94.37% White, 0.54% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 4.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 166 households, out of which 15.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.14% were married couples living together, 9.04% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 46.99% were non-families. 47.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93 and the average family size was 2.49.
The township's age distribution consisted of 12.8% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 31.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $48,106, and the median income for a family was $49,773. Males had a median income of $47,784 versus $27,303 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,784. About 21.6% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.