Martelle was platted in 1872 when the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad was being built through the neighborhood.

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.34 square miles (0.88 km2), all land.

As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 255 people, 114 households, and 81 families living in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 97.6% White, 1.6% Asian, and 0.8% from two or more races.

20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The racial makeup of the city was 99.29% White, 0.36% Asian, and 0.36% from two or more races.

About 2.5% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty-five or over.