Leake County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Leake County, MS Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 72% of counties in Mississippi
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 77% of counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,319 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 36.4 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.93% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,414 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Leake County declined by 6.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,319 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Leake County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.7% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,831 22.7% +0.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,108 19.3% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,153 19.5% on par
- Boomers 61–79 3,503 16.4% -1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Mississippi, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Leake County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 49.6% Mississippi 48.5%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Leake County
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Economy
Leake County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,065 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.72% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Leake County is about 10% lower than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $110,416 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $764 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.7% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Leake County is about 12.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $764 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Leake County spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 221 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.6 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.1 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 221 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,860 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,132 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 457 | 914 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Mississippi:
Sharkey County (11.9 min), Coahoma County (13.2 min), Leflore County (15.2 min).
Slowest:
Wilkinson County (36.8 min), Tate County (32.8 min), Greene County (32.7 min).
The average commute time in Leake County is 27 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Mississippi.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Leake County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.5% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.82 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Mississippi:
Madison County (0.4), Lafayette County (0.3), Oktibbeha County (0.3).
Lowest:
Issaquena County (0.1), Tallahatchie County (0.2), Greene County (0.2).
Health
Leake County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Leake County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.9 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.8% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.0% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Mississippi:
Madison County (0.8), Lafayette County (0.8), Oktibbeha County (0.8).
Lowest:
Holmes County (0.7), Quitman County (0.7), Sharkey County (0.7).
Leake County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
Leake County, MS is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 21,319 residents against a local median of 28,325. Where Leake County, MS breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 22% above the local median of 21.8 min at 26.6 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.1 min on commute, so Leake County, MS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Leake County, MS has the 4th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leake County, MS | 21,319 | $51,065 #3/5 | $110,416 #3/5 | 26.6 min #4/5 |
| Scott County, MS | 27,718 | $48,730 | $34,321 | 21.9 min |
| Neshoba County, MS | 28,932 | $57,703 | $152,027 | 20.0 min |
| Madison County, MS | 111,640 | $83,146 | $212,500 | 21.8 min |
| Newton County, MS | 21,093 | $50,437 | $98,332 | 28.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Leake County, Mississippi.
How many people live in Leake County, Mississippi?
About 21,319 people live in Leake County, Mississippi, in 7,414 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 40.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Leake County, Mississippi urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Leake County, Mississippi has 36 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 42% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Leake County, Mississippi?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($110,416 against $51,065), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $764 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Leake County, Mississippi have a college degree?
15.5% of adults in Leake County, Mississippi hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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