Elk Township is one of sixteen townships in Jackson County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,746 and it contained 849 housing units.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Elk Township has a total area of , of which (or 95.98%) is land and (or 4.02%) is water.
(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)
The township contains these eight cemeteries: Davis, Davis Number 1, Dutch Hill, Elkville, Gill, Greer, Rees and Russian Orthodox.
As of the 2020 census there were 1,746 people, 633 households, and 408 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 849 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 89.63% White, 2.23% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 6.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.
There were 633 households, out of which 21.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.66% were married couples living together, 6.48% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 35.55% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.80.
The township's age distribution consisted of 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $39,179, and the median income for a family was $40,729. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $22,679 for females. The per capita income for the township was $22,358. About 15.4% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.