| Official Name: | Avena 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: | November 9, 1859 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.47 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 36.32 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.15 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0.41 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 55.3 |
| Elevation M: | 182 |
| Elevation Ft: | 597 |
| Coordinates: | 39.0431°N -88.8622°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62418, 62458 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-051-03155 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2016 |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Est: | 1956 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Avena Township is one of twenty townships in Fayette County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,987 and it contained 870 housing units.[2]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Avena Township has a total area of 36.48sqmi, of which 36.32sqmi (or 99.58%) is land and 0.15sqmi (or 0.42%) is water.[3]
The township contains these five cemeteries: Crums Chapel, Guy, Maplewood, Seidner, Saint Bonaventure and Yolton.
As of the 2020 census there were 1,897 people, 765 households, and 584 families residing in the township. The population density was 52.01PD/sqmi. There were 870 housing units at an average density of 23.85/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 96.47% White, 0.16% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.
There were 765 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.69% were married couples living together, 10.33% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 23.66% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.13.
The township's age distribution consisted of 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $46,648, and the median income for a family was $52,500. Males had a median income of $32,361 versus $23,553 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,539. About 10.3% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.