Carleton, which was named after Michigan poet Will Carleton, was platted in 1872 by Daniel Matthews and incorporated into a village in 1911. Primarily an agricultural community with an operating grain elevator, the village also contains several small businesses and restaurants.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,562 people, 998 households, and 677 families living in the village. The population density was 2,577.3 per square mile. There were 1,061 housing units at an average density of 1,067.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 96.72% White, 0.04% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population. There were 998 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couplesliving together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12. In the village, the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $44,205, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $41,289 versus $26,531 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,394. About 9.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,345 people, 953 households, and 631 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 1,048 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 96.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 953 households of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the village was 37.2 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
Government
The village is served by a seven-member council, which includes a council president.
