Cowden is a village in Shelby County, Illinois, United States. The population was 612 at the 2000 census.Cowden is located at 39°14′56″N 88°51′36″W / 39.24889°N 88.86000°W / 39.24889; -88.86000.According to the 2010 census, Cowden has a total area of 0.4 square miles, all land.As of the census of 2000, there were 650 people, 238 households, and 159 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,526.3 people per square mile. There were 270 housing units at an average density of 673.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.04% White, 0.49% African American, and 1.47% from two or more races.There were 238 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.