[3] It is named for the north branch of the Sunrise River, which flows through the city.

The two cities talked about a potential merger for years, beginning in the late 1970s.

94% of residents had at least a high school education, and 20.5% had attained a bachelor's degree or higher.

Among the foreign-born population, 85.0% were naturalized US citizens, the majority of whom were born in Asia.

The most common ancestries in North Branch were German (30.3%), Swedish (14.5%), Norwegian (13.2%), Irish (7.1%), and Polish (4.1%).

Among workers 16 years and older, 81.6% commuted to work via car, 10.6% carpooled, 0.9% used public transit, and 2.4% walked, biked, or used some other method.

The median household income in North Branch was $85,213, slightly above the state average.

21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,023 people, 2,815 households, and 2,147 families living in the city.

18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.