Leland is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 28,591 people and ten associated neighborhoods, Leland is the 44th largest community in North Carolina. Much of the housing stock in Leland was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Leland economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Leland, where the median household income is $82,651.00.

Leland real estate is some of the most expensive in North Carolina, although Leland house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 9.93% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Leland is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The population of Leland is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 39.89% of adults in Leland have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Leland in 2022 was $44,407, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $177,628 for a family of four. However, Leland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Leland is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Leland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Leland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Leland include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Leland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Other Indo-European.