veteran Captain Moses Allen and his family journeyed here along the Sauk trail and settled here in 1827 in an area that became known as "Allen's Prairie". On July 13, 1830, a post office was established named "Sylvanus", due to being in a wooded area. The office closed on September 5, 1834, and was reestablished on September 9, 1835. It was renamed "Allen" in honor of Captain Allen on August 17, 1868. A plat for what was already a thriving village was also recorded in 1868. It was a station on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway and incorporated as a village in 1950.
As of the census of 2010, there were 191 people, 80 households, and 51 families residing in the village. The population density was. There were 94 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 97.9% White, 1.0% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. There were 80 households, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couplesliving together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the village was 45.8 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 225 people, 87 households, and 58 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,470.7 per square mile. There were 93 housing units at an average density of 607.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.67% White, and 1.33% from two or more races. There were 87 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% 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 3.22. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $42,344, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,251. About 8.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty five or over.
