Cowden is a village in Shelby County, Illinois, home to about 534 people across 0.4 square miles. Its ZIP code is 62422.
Mostly Cowden
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| Nearest major airport | St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)86 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Decatur Airport (DEC)42 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Louis, MO84 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL191 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Cowden; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Cowden had 515 residents in the 2020 census, down 16% since 2000.
It’s the 911th largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
Shelby County grew from 32,126 residents in 1900 to 20,990 in 2020.
Shelby County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 19°F. About 42.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 13 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ramsey, IL weather station (13 miles away).
4,312 jobs at 422 businesses in Shelby County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
3 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cowden.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 3 |
|---|
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Public schools here are run by Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High SchoolCowden | 6–12 | 168 | Public | 1.5 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.