Fraser was established by home rule charter November 7, 1956, and adopted by the electors on December 26, 1956.
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,297 people, 6,062 households, and 4,122 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,652.5 per square mile (1,409.6/km²). There were 6,178 housing units at an average density of 1,475.2/sq mi (569.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.67% White, 0.91% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 6,062 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,339, and the median income for a family was $64,119. Males had a median income of $50,243 versus $29,254 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,864. About 3.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.