Wheatland was platted in 1858 under the leadership of John Bennett. The town was named for President James Buchanan's estate Wheatland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The entire township had a white population of only 101 in 1850, but that number rose to 756 in 1860. A significant body of early settlers all came from the village of Wunderthausen in central Germany. The Germans founded the first church in town in 1857 with a Presbyterian affiliation. This relationship was dissolved in 1861 with the incorporation of St. Paul's German Reformed Church. The First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1858, though no longer functions. Wheatland was legally incorporated on July 13, 1869.
Geography
Wheatland is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 764 people, 294 households, and 197 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 317 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.7% White, 0.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 294 households of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couplesliving together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 40.6 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 20% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 772 people, 300 households, and 207 families living in the city. The population density was 1,389.8 people per square mile. There were 316 housing units at an average density of 568.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.58% White, 0.26% African American, 0.13% Asian, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 300 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99. 27.2% are under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,875, and the median income for a family was $36,528. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $20,972 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,824. About 8.7% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
