Earling had its start 1881-1882 by the building of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway through that territory. The town was platted in 1882 by the Milwaukee Land Company and was first known as Marthan. However, there was already a town called Marathon in Iowa, so the name of the town was soon changed to Earling, in honor of Albert J. Earling who in 1882 was division superintendent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway. Earling is well known in paranormal circles for being the site of 1928 exorcism. Over 23 days in 1928, a Roman CatholicCapuchin named Theophilus Riesinger worked to exorcise demons from Emma Schmidt at the localFranciscanconvent. During the exorcism Schmidt reportedly flew across the room, landed high above the door, and clung tightly to the wall. Despite attempts by church officials to keep the exorcism secret, townspeople soon began hearing strange noises coming from the convent as well as horrid odors. Finally after 23 days the demons in Schmidt's body gave up after Father Riesinger commanded, "Depart, ye fiends of hell! Begone, Satan." After the exorcism Schmidt reportedly led a fairly normal life.
As of the census of 2010, there were 437 people, 175 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 185 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.9% White, 0.2% African American, 1.4% Native American, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 175 households, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couplesliving together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 50.1 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 32.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 471 people, 181 households, and 114 families residing in the city. The population density was 772.3 people per square mile. There were 186 housing units at an average density of 305.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 99.36% White, 0.21% Native American, and 0.42% from two or more races. There were 181 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.4% 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 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 35.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,702, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,866. About 5.9% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
