| | Harlan, IA | Carroll, IA | United States |
| Population | 4,912 | 10,261 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 53.8% | 53.0% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 46.3% | 47.0% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 48.1 | 43.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 5,082 | 10,135 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 5,282 | 10,106 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 5,148 | 9,579 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -9.2% | -4.1% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -6.9% | 1.2% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,118.4 | 1,790.8 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 4.4 | 5.7 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Harlan, IA | Carroll, IA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.1% | 7.8% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.0% | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.2% | 3.6% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.1% | 2.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 3.7% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 10.7% | 11.4% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 9.4% | 11.1% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 7.0% | 6.3% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 9.7% | 7.6% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 7.5% | 7.0% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 5.3% | 4.5% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Harlan, IA | Carroll, IA | United States |
| White | 92.5% | 93.4% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.5% | 0.5% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.6% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.7% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 2.2% | 3.8% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Harlan, IA | Carroll, IA | United States |
| Married Population | 52.3% | 48.1% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 51.2% | 48.0% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.1% | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 47.7% | 51.9% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 26.9% | 30.4% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 11.0% | 10.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 9.8% | 10.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.12 | 2.19 | 2.60 |
| Households | 2,276 | 4,562 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 1,256 | 2,602 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 24.1% | 25.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 57.4% | 47.7% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 1,020 | 1,960 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 13.7% | 18.6% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 4.8% | 8.1% | 10.8% |