Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Leighton’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, against 25 minutes in Alabama’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 9 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a lower January low than Leighton. John Johnson House and Preuit Oaks is on the National Register of Historic Places. Leighton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Leighton beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 279 in 1880, a peak of 1,231 in 1970, 665 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1924 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leighton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Leighton.
The typical Leighton home is worth about $154,000, up 7% in a year, 36% below the Alabama typical home. 59% of households own their home in Leighton, below both Alabama’s towns (69%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Colbert County school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Colbert County High School, with 438 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 355 | C− |
| Colbert County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 438 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Leighton for work: only 2% work in town. 24% of Leighton residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Leighton has lost 36 jobs, to 65 in 2023.
| Leighton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 49% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). Leighton’s median age is 44.9 years. Leighton has grown 2.9% since 2020, to 669 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Leighton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.9 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
Somewhere between 44% and 67% women
The Census survey reached too few of Leighton’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.5 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Leighton | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.3% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 22.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18.5% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.1% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 6.6% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.6% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.9% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 700, single groups can be off by several points
Leighton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Leighton is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15 crimes were reported in Leighton in 2024: 8 property and 7 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Leighton is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Leighton beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 18% of adults have diabetes in Leighton.
| Leighton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 43% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Leighton | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.1% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Leighton
About 2 of every 100 Leighton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Leighton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Leighton.
Town in Alabama, United States
Leighton is a town in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". At the 2020 census, the population was 665. Leighton has been hit by several tornadoes in the 2000s, including a damaging EF2 on May 8, 2008, that was caught on tape flipping over many cars and damaging buildings.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Leighton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
3 notable people were born here, including Percy Sledge and Leon Douglas.
