Living in Leland, NC
Brunswick County
Leland is genuinely, verifiably one of the fastest-growing towns in North Carolina -- and its real identity is more layered than "Wilmington's bedroom suburb" alone suggests. World Population Review estimates Leland's 2026 population at 39,095, up 55.37% since the 2020 Census, and town officials project it will more than double to over 74,000 residents by 2045; Brunswick County itself was the fastest-growing county in North Carolina from 2020-2024, up 24% to nearly 170,000. That growth shows up concretely: a new 750-student elementary school is under construction on a 64-acre Jackey's Creek site because every Brunswick County school is projected to exceed 100% capacity within a decade, and hundreds of family-oriented subdivisions (Grayson Park, Lanvale Forest, Harrington Place, among others cited in local coverage) have been built over the past 20 years at accessible price points for younger buyers. But Leland's Census data tells a second, equally real story that this record discloses rather than glosses over: median age reads a genuinely high 47.3-50.7 depending on source and year (the 2020 Census itself recorded 50.7), with 28.4%-31.1% of residents 65 or older -- and one ACS-based analysis puts Leland's old-age dependency ratio (46.8) meaningfully above its youth dependency ratio (22.8). This is substantially explained by Brunswick Forest, a real 4,500-acre master-planned community inside Leland town limits planned for roughly 8,000 homes total, including a dedicated 55-plus active-adult section. Leland sits about 10 minutes from downtown Wilmington across the Cape Fear River, but has no independent urban downtown, no direct beachfront, and no university of its own -- its identity is residential growth and housing product, genuinely distinct from Wilmington's own port/film/UNCW urban-coastal identity. Housing runs close to the national median ($413,000 citywide per a December 2025 Redfin read, up 11.7% year over year) rather than at a discount, and property taxes combine a $0.3420-per-$100 Brunswick County rate with Leland's own $0.27-per-$100 municipal rate. Hazard exposure is real, coastal-adjacent, and documented -- genuinely less severe on average than direct-landfall Wilmington, but not zero: Hurricane Florence (2018) flooded 44 homes in Leland's Stoney Creek Plantation neighborhood alone and washed out US-17 at nearly every river crossing, and a September 2024 storm brought more than 2 feet of water into homes in that same neighborhood again.
Explore Leland in depth
- Moving to Leland: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Leland
- Housing in Leland
- Taxes & Insurance in Leland
- Climate in Leland
- Schools & Families in Leland
- Healthcare & Safety in Leland
- Pros and Cons of Living in Leland
- Retiring in Leland
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Learn moreHousing
Redfin cites a $413,000 median sale price for December 2025, up 11.7% year over year, with new listings showing a $418,000 median list price. This runs close to the roughly $400K+ U.S. national median cited elsewhere in this dataset -- Leland is not a discount market relative to the nation the way New Bern or Burlington are elsewhere in this NC Tier B batch. Countywide, Brunswick County's broader median sale price ran lower, at $385,000 (January 2026, down 1.0% YoY) -- Leland trends slightly above the county median. Within Leland, the Brunswick Forest master-planned community carries its own, notably higher price tier: a $617,792 median in one May 2026 read (up 10.3% YoY) against a $527,000 median in an earlier March 2026 read -- a real, disclosed spread reflecting Brunswick Forest's wide range of home types from starter to luxury.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Brunswick County level this session. North Carolina's top state income tax rate is 3.99%. See the North Carolina hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Leland-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely fast, real population and housing growth (55.37% since the 2020 Census, projected to more than double by 2045) with real new infrastructure investment (a new elementary school under construction) responding to it; a real, substantial family-housing stock at accessible price points in dozens of newer subdivisions; a real, Census-documented retiree and active-adult presence anchored by the large, amenity-rich Brunswick Forest community, distinct in character from a golf-resort retirement town like Pinehurst elsewhere in this dataset; genuine proximity (about 10 minutes) to downtown Wilmington's jobs, dining, and healthcare without Wilmington's own direct-landfall hurricane exposure or urban housing costs; strong median household income ($91,977) and a low poverty rate (6.09%) relative to several other markets in this NC batch.
Cons
Real, documented, recurring flood risk in specific low-lying Leland neighborhoods -- Hurricane Florence (2018) and a September 2024 storm both flooded homes in the same Stoney Creek Plantation neighborhood, and US-17, the county's main transportation spine, has washed out at river crossings during major storms; housing runs close to the national median rather than at the discount New Bern or Burlington offer elsewhere in this batch, and homeowners insurance estimates cluster at or above the North Carolina state average; school capacity is under real, disclosed strain, with every Brunswick County school projected to exceed 100% capacity within a decade; North Brunswick High School (Leland's zoned public high school) carries a Niche B- grade with a 3/10 GreatSchools rating, below several comparable schools in this NC dataset; no independent downtown, university, or direct beachfront of its own -- movers wanting Wilmington's urban/coastal identity should look there directly rather than expecting Leland to replicate it.
Who this fits
Best for: Families and younger buyers drawn to Leland's real, fast-growing new-construction housing stock and Wilmington-metro job access at a shorter commute than living in Wilmington itself; retirees and active-adult buyers genuinely drawn to Brunswick Forest or similar master-planned communities who want resort-style amenities without Pinehurst's golf-centric identity or price point; anyone prioritizing proximity to Wilmington's healthcare, dining, and airport without Wilmington's own direct hurricane-landfall exposure.
Maybe not for you if: Buyers specifically wanting Wilmington's own independent downtown, university, port, or direct beachfront identity should look to Wilmington itself rather than Leland, which has none of those on its own. Anyone highly averse to flood risk should research a specific neighborhood's documented flood history directly -- Hurricane Florence and a 2024 storm both flooded the same Stoney Creek Plantation neighborhood, real, disclosed, recurring history rather than a one-off event. Families expecting uniformly top-tier school ratings should verify their zoned school directly; North Brunswick High School's Niche grade (B-) and GreatSchools rating (3/10) run below several other markets in this dataset.
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