| Official Name: | Shafter Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Image Map1: | Map of Illinois highlighting Fayette County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 150px |
| Map Caption1: | Fayette County's location in Illinois |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Fayette |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | December 1920 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.26 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 35.59 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.67 |
| Area Water Percent: | 1.85 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 466 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 175 |
| Elevation Ft: | 574 |
| Coordinates: | 39.0439°N -89.1858°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62011, 62080, 62262, 62471 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-051-68926 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Shafter Township is one of twenty townships in Fayette County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 466 and it contained 207 housing units.[1] Shafter Township was formed out of Sharon Township in December, 1920.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Shafter Township has a total area of 36.26sqmi, of which 35.59sqmi (or 98.15%) is land and 0.67sqmi (or 1.85%) is water.[2]
The township contains these seven cemeteries: Brackenbush, Browning, Cook, Hoffman, Holy Cross Lutheran, Lawler and Rush.
As of the 2020 census there were 466 people, 287 households, and 221 families residing in the township. The population density was 12.85PD/sqmi. There were 207 housing units at an average density of 5.71/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 95.71% White, 0.21% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 3.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.
There were 287 households, out of which 54.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.01% were married couples living together, 2.09% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 23.00% were non-families. 23.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 2.99.
The township's age distribution consisted of 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $80,524, and the median income for a family was $64,071. Males had a median income of $62,778 versus $25,083 for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,171. About 9.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.