Ceresco was established in 1886 when the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad extended service to the area, and takes its name from Ceresco, Michigan, the hometown of early settlers Richard Nelson and Hod Andrus.

With a 2020 population of 919, Ceresco has nearly all-paved roads, a public library and park, three churches, and an elementary school feeding into the Raymond Central School District.