Cowden is a village in Shelby County, Illinois, United States.

According to the 2010 census, Cowden has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.04 km2), all land.

There were 270 housing units at an average density of 673.4 per square mile (260.0/km2).

The racial makeup of the village was 98.04% White, 0.49% African American, and 1.47% from two or more races.

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.