Harlan is a very small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 4,898 people and two associated neighborhoods, Harlan is the 98th largest community in Iowa. Much of the housing stock in Harlan was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

A relatively large number of people in Harlan telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.23% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Harlan spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.70 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

The citizens of Harlan are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 22.14% of adults in Harlan having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Harlan in 2022 was $37,556, which is middle income relative to Iowa and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $150,224 for a family of four. However, Harlan contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Harlan home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Harlan residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Harlan include German, Irish, English, Danish, and Swedish.

The most common language spoken in Harlan is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.