Galena was platted in 1852, and named for deposits of the ore galena near the original town site. An early variant name was "Jamestown". A post office has been in operation at Galena since 1853. The last public execution in the United States took place in Galena in 1937.
As of the census of 2010, there were 440 people, 179 households, and 116 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 239 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.9% Native American, 0.7% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population. There were 179 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couplesliving together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% 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 3.03. The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 451 people, 165 households, and 121 families living in the city. The population density was 659.7 people per square mile. There were 215 housing units at an average density of 314.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.23% White, 0.22% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. There were 165 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $24,423. Males had a median income of $22,396 versus $17,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,673. About 23.4% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.9% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
