Population 3,786 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Leighton
Household size in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.53 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.55 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.55 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.32 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.20 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Households in Leighton are small: just 2.32 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.53 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.5 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.0 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 47.6 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.2 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +6.7 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 48.2, Leighton is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.9% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.6% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | −5.2 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are less common in Leighton than nationally: 8.7%, against 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Leighton
Renters in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.7% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.4% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 21.6% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 18.9% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.8 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 18.9% of households in Leighton rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 53.6% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.5% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.7% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 22.0% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 16.1% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 16.1% of the housing in Leighton, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1975 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1976 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1984 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +9 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Leighton are a bit newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1984, versus 1980 across the U.S. The picture is much the same across Alabama.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $577 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $589 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $485 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $693 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$116 | +$375 | +$606 |
Rent in Leighton runs $693 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 35.6% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Leighton
Bachelor's degrees in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.7% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.0% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.5% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.5% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.8 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Leighton have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 20.5%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 69.9% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 80.8% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 85.0% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.9% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +16.9 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in eight adults in Leighton never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Leighton
| Period | Leighton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.3% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.6% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.2% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.6% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −7.7 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Leighton has been low: just 1.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Leighton compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton | 2.32 | 48.2 | 8.7% | 18.9% | 16.1% | 1984 | $693 | 20.5% | 86.9% | 1.6% |
| Nitrate City | 2.39 | 52.6 | 5.5% | 15.6% | 16.1% | 1979 | $623 | 22.7% | 80.3% | 1.3% |
| Spring Valley | 2.72 | 44.3 | 4.6% | 19.1% | 9.7% | 1993 | $934 | 25.8% | 90.1% | 0.8% |
| Colonial Heights | 2.87 | 43.4 | 3.8% | 16.2% | 9.6% | 1996 | $940 | 32.7% | 91.5% | 1.2% |
| Wolf Springs | 2.65 | 42.8 | 5.8% | 27.4% | 18.1% | 1991 | $1,019 | 11.8% | 95.2% | 0.0% |
| Muscle Shoals | 2.50 | 41.6 | 13.3% | 29.0% | 10.8% | 1986 | $1,010 | 25.1% | 89.6% | 3.3% |
| Lakeview Highlands | 2.23 | 46.8 | 1.1% | 51.8% | 21.8% | 1981 | $1,112 | 24.1% | 89.6% | 13.5% |
| Steenson Hollow | 2.11 | 47.9 | 11.4% | 40.2% | 17.3% | 1980 | $990 | 20.7% | 90.9% | 7.7% |
| Old Bethel | 2.65 | 46.5 | 9.0% | 24.9% | 18.8% | 1985 | $926 | 15.4% | 82.3% | 1.8% |
| Town Creek | 2.78 | 39.1 | 9.8% | 21.3% | 18.0% | 1988 | $884 | 14.8% | 86.9% | 4.5% |
| Rocky Hill | 2.35 | 39.1 | 10.1% | 31.2% | 19.8% | 1989 | $724 | 15.4% | 86.9% | 3.2% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Brookwood, AL · Willard, UT · White Sulphur Springs, WV · West Suffield, CT · West Friendship, MD · Wellston, OK · Telluride, CO · Stockton, NJ · Stillman Valley, IL · St. Henry, OH
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Leighton. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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