The city of Nicollet was named for Joseph Nicollet, a French explorer. A post office called Nicollet, along with the town of Nicollet, was established in 1858 by William A. Mills. Nicollet was platted on June 30, 1874 by James H. Stewart and Walter L. Brackenridge as a railroad town. Nicollet was incorporated in 1881.
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,093 people, 429 households, and 307 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 445 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population. There were 429 households of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couplesliving together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 31.9 years. 29.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30% were from 25 to 44; 22.4% were from 45 to 64; and 10.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 889 people, 344 households, and 241 families living in the city. The population density was 1,008.2 inhabitants per square mile. There were 350 housing units at an average density of 396.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.20% White, 0.11% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.34% Asian, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 344 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $51,563. Males had a median income of $34,722 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,237. About 1.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
