| Official Name: | Prairie Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Image Map1: | Map of Illinois highlighting Hancock County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 150px |
| Map Caption1: | Hancock County's location in Illinois |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hancock |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | September 12, 1854 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 33.12 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 33.07 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.05 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0.15 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 382 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 213 |
| Elevation Ft: | 699 |
| Coordinates: | 40.4244°N -91.2072°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62321, 62334, 62341, 62379 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-067-61496 |
Prairie Township is one of twenty-four townships in Hancock County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 382 and it contained 186 housing units.[1] It was formed from Montebello and Carthage townships on September 12, 1854.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Prairie Township has a total area of 33.12sqmi, of which 33.07sqmi (or 99.85%) is land and 0.05sqmi (or 0.15%) is water.[2]
(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)
The township contains Elvaston Cemetery.
As of the 2020 census there were 382 people, 120 households, and 75 families residing in the township. The population density was 11.53PD/sqmi. There were 186 housing units at an average density of 5.62/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 96.60% White, 0.52% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.
There were 120 households, out of which 13.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 3.33% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 37.50% were non-families. 37.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.75.
The township's age distribution consisted of 16.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 13% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 33.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $50,870, and the median income for a family was $56,875. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,502. About 9.3% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.