| Official Name: | Charleston Township |
| Image Map1: | Map of Illinois highlighting Coles County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 150px |
| Map Caption1: | Coles County's location in Illinois |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | November 8, 1859 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 37.91 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 37.19 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.72 |
| Area Water Percent: | 1.90 |
| Population Total: | 19313 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 209 |
| Elevation Ft: | 686 |
| Coordinates: | 39.4833°N -99°W |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 61912, 61920 62440 |
| Blank Info: | 17-029-12580 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Charleston Township is one of twelve townships in Coles County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,313 and it contained 9,194 housing units.[1] Eastern Illinois University is located in this township.
Charleston Township was named for one of its founders, Charles Morton.[2]
According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of, of which (or 98.10%) is land and (or 1.90%) is water.[3]
The township contains fourteen cemeteries: Adkins, Chambers, Cossel, Fudge, Huckaba, Kickapoo, Lumbrick, Mound, Old Charleston, Roselawn, Salem, Stoner, Unity and Yocum.
As of the 2020 census there were 19,313 people, 8,615 households, and 4,475 families residing in the township. The population density was 509.94PD/sqmi. There were 9,194 housing units at an average density of 242.76/mi2. The racial makeup of the township was 81.17% White, 7.62% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.54% from other races, and 4.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.45% of the population.
There were 8,615 households, out of which 21.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.89% were married couples living together, 11.27% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 48.06% were non-families. 33.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.72.
The township's age distribution consisted of 13.3% under the age of 18, 30.2% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $44,508, and the median income for a family was $57,182. Males had a median income of $25,956 versus $17,931 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,122. About 14.7% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.