| Official Name: | Eastern 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: | 36.23 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 36.14 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.09 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0.25 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 589 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 138 |
| Elevation Ft: | 453 |
| Coordinates: | 37.9964°N -88.7611°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62812, 62860, 62890 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-055-21735 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Eastern Township is one of twelve townships in Franklin County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 589 and it contained 270 housing units.[1]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Eastern Township has a total area of 36.23sqmi, of which 36.14sqmi (or 99.75%) is land and 0.09sqmi (or 0.25%) is water.[2]
(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)
The township contains these five cemeteries: Brady, Cook, Jones, Manion and Otterson.
As of the 2020 census there were 589 people, 237 households, and 186 families residing in the township. The population density was 16.26PD/sqmi. There were 270 housing units at an average density of 7.45/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 95.76% White, 0.34% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 237 households, out of which 37.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.78% were married couples living together, 7.17% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 21.52% were non-families. 17.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.92.
The township's age distribution consisted of 26.8% under the age of 18, 2.6% from 18 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.0 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $43,854, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $53,750 versus $34,444 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,496. About 18.3% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.