| Official Name: | Union Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Image Map1: | Map of Illinois highlighting Effingham County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 150px |
| Map Caption1: | Effingham County's location in Illinois |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Effingham |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | November 6, 1860 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 35.84 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 35.79 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.05 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0.13 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 755 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 149 |
| Elevation Ft: | 489 |
| Coordinates: | 38.9667°N -119°W |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 62424, 62443, 62473, 62858 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-049-76654 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Union Township is one of fifteen townships in Effingham County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 755 and it contained 320 housing units.[1]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Union Township (T6N R6E) has a total area of 35.84sqmi, of which 35.79sqmi (or 99.87%) is land and 0.05sqmi (or 0.13%) is water.[2]
The township contains these five cemeteries: Bethsaida, Hull, Poe, Ridge and Saint John.
As of the 2020 census there were 755 people, 271 households, and 208 families residing in the township. The population density was 21.07PD/sqmi. There were 320 housing units at an average density of 8.93/sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 97.09% White, 0.00% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 271 households, out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.24% were married couples living together, 14.39% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 23.25% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.10% 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 2.96.
The township's age distribution consisted of 30.2% under the age of 18, 1.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $55,461, and the median income for a family was $68,333. Males had a median income of $43,438 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,778. About 14.9% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.8% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.