Cambridge was originally called Pickletown, and under the latter name was laid out in the 1870s by J. W. Pickle. When the railroad was built through the settlement in 1880, the town was renamed Cambridge by railroad officials. The origin of the name is uncertain: it may have been named after Cambridge, Massachusetts, or after Cambridge in England.
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,063 people, 490 households, and 272 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 589 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 490 households, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couplesliving together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 47.6 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,041 people, 486 households, and 282 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,287.3 people per square mile. There were 545 housing units at an average density of 674.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.75% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 486 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $30,913, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $28,214 versus $20,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,673. About 4.5% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
