North Branch became a township in 1861, and incorporated in 1881. In 1901 North Branch split into a village covering the more densely populated downtown area and a township covering the rest of the former village. The township later incorporated as the village of Branch in 1961. The two cities talked about a potential merger for years, beginning in the late 1970s. The first public referendum on the issue was held in 1984, and failed. A second referendum was held on September 13, 1994, and passed. The two cities officially merged on November 14, 1994.
As of the census of 2010, there were 10,125 people, 3,604 households, and 2,591 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 3,604 households of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.1% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age in the city was 34.3 years. 29.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% 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 8,023 people, 2,815 households, and 2,147 families living in the city. The population density was 224.9 people per square mile. There were 2,900 housing units at an average density of 81.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.27% White, 0.16% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population. There were 2,815 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,294, and the median income for a family was $56,512. Males had a median income of $39,478 versus $26,424 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,875. About 3.1% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
