Leighton, Alabama

Town in Colbert County · population 665 (2020 Census)

Household income: $33,894
Jan low / Jul high: 34° / 92°
Snow a year: 1 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 46
Median age: 44.9

Leighton is a town of 665 people in Colbert County, Alabama. It ranks quieter than 100% of Alabama towns, easier by car than 89% of Alabama towns.

Leighton in our rankings:

#1 in The 25 Quietest Small Towns in Alabama

How Leighton ranks

Percentile among Alabama towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Alabama towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $388 a month. 58.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Alabama towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Leighton	Typical Alabama town
Median home value	—	$161,250
Median rent	$388	$834
Median household income	$33,894	$56,250
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.8×
Homeownership	58.9%	71.3%
Median year built	1982	1981
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Leighton

People	Leighton	Typical Alabama town
Median age	44.9	39.9
Age 65 and over	15.5%	18.1%
Under 18	22.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.4%	17.3%
Below the poverty line	24.0%	16.7%
Veterans	2.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	1.7%	5.1%
Average commute	15.0 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	72.5%	86.7%

Weather in Leighton

July highs average 91.6°F and January lows 33.5°F. About 54.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 1.3 inches of snow (typical Alabama town: 0.6 in). Expect about 69 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 56 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Muscle Shoals Rgnl Ap station (5.5 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

46 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Leighton since 1950, compared with 30 for the typical Alabama town. 18 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on November 4, 1988 about 0.6 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 4 deaths and 62 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on May 20, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 39 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on May 20, 2025.

Severe weather in Colbert County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Colbert County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 6 deaths recorded.

Colbert County has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, tornado.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 26, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3618: Hurricane Helene
May 5, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4710: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
September 14, 2020	Hurricane	EM-3545: Hurricane Sally
May 21, 2020	Severe Storm	DR-4546: Severe Storms And Flooding
March 29, 2020	Biological	DR-4503: Covid-19 Pandemic

Jobs and pay in Colbert County

Colbert County had 24,495 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $58,010 a year. Unemployment was 2.9% in 2023; in Leighton itself the ACS puts it at 3%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Leighton

3 public schools with 1,082 students, about 15.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Colbert County High School	7-12	473	17.5
Leighton Elementary School	PK-6	375	15.0
Hatton Elementary School	PK-6	234	14.6

Towns near Leighton

Town Creek, AL
6.8 mi · 1,052 people · home $118,000
Muscle Shoals, AL
7.1 mi · 16,275 people · home $199,700
Tuscumbia, AL
10.3 mi · 9,054 people · home $196,700
Sheffield, AL
10.7 mi · 9,403 people · home $133,800
Littleville, AL
10.8 mi · 1,038 people · home $142,400
Courtland, AL
11.3 mi · 583 people · home —
Killen, AL
11.6 mi · 1,034 people · home $175,000
Florence, AL
12.2 mi · 40,184 people · home $196,300

Leighton questions

Is Leighton, Alabama a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Leighton scores better for retirees than 36% of Alabama towns and quieter than 100%. 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 44.9).

What is the weather like in Leighton?

July highs average 91.6°F and January lows 33.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 54.2 inches of precipitation a year and 1.3 inches of snow.

Does Leighton get tornadoes?

46 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Leighton since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on November 4, 1988. The typical Alabama town has had 30.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Leighton's Census boundary (GEOID 0142160). Comparisons use the median of Alabama towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.