[6] Hettinger was founded in 1907 along the Milwaukee Road's transcontinental rail line known as the Pacific Extension.

[7] In 1923 a tornado struck ten miles east of Hettinger, destroying a farmstead and killing two people.

[10] As of the census of 2010, there were 1,226 people, 587 households, and 316 families living in the city.

There were 704 housing units at an average density of 828.2 per square mile (319.8/km2).

42.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 720 housing units at an average density of 857.5 per square mile (331.1/km2).

38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.