Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Leland earns a D−, ranked 96th of 99 in Mississippi, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its public schools trail 97% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. The median household income is $37K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 2 places on the National Register. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Leland, above both the Mississippi town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On the outdoors, just 18 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do better. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates.
Where Leland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
U.S. Post Office| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Edna M Scott Elementary School | 1–5 | 239 |
| Leland School Park | 6–8 | 232 |
| Leland High School | 9–12 | 200 |
4,481 counted in 2010 and 3,988 in 2020; an estimated 3,555 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 10.6% since 2020, after 11% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Leland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 485 in 1890, a peak of 6,667 in 1980, 3,988 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 2 maps from 1939 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leland, 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 Leland.
Leland has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Mississippi, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 0.8 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 63 Mississippi towns.
The trail density in Leland is 0.8 miles per square mile. 2.8 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. 0.7% of the land in Leland is conserved.
| Leland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Leland School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edna M Scott Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 239 | D |
| Leland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 200 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
At 1.5 years of the Greenville area’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $65K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $65K, is 49% below its January 2022 peak.
The typical Leland home is worth about $65,000, up 4% in a year, 67% below the Mississippi typical home. Leland’s median rent is $834 a month.
| Leland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $834 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 1,714 U.S. towns with household incomes like Leland’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is less healthy than 58% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
52% of adults have high blood pressure in Leland. Leland beats the Mississippi average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 19% of adults have diabetes in Leland.
| Leland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 14% |
| What stands out | Leland | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.4% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Leland has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 7 have a higher July high than Leland.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,405 working residents takes 14.8 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
Most working residents leave Leland for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in Leland grew to 1,113 in 2023, 233 more than in 2013. Only 1 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Leland.
| Leland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 20% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide). Leland has lost 11% of its people since 2020, down to 3,555 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 10 have a higher median age than Leland.
| Leland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.1 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.1 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Leland | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.1% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Leland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Leland; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Leland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
2 places in Leland on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Leland.
City in Mississippi, United States
Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. It is located within the Mississippi Delta, on the banks of Deer Creek. The population was 3,988 at the 2020 census. It was once a railway town and had long been a center of cotton culture, which is still an important commodity crop in the rural area. It was once considered the second-largest city in Washington County in 1920 due to its rapid growth of residents, businesses, and schools. Since before the Civil War, farming has been the basis of the local economy. There are several privately owned farms within and around the boundaries of the town. Mississippi State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Leland grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #96 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.5 years of the area's median household income ($42,165 across the Greenville, MS area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
6 notable people were born here, including Thelma Houston and Wadada Leo Smith.
