[2] The county is named for Walter Leake, the Governor of Mississippi from 1822 to 1825.

[3] In 2010, the center of population of Mississippi was located in Leake County, near the town of Lena.

[5] As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 21,275 people, 8,105 households, and 5,591 families residing in the county.

24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections contracted for development of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which opened in 2001 in the town of Walnut Grove.

[14] The facility was operated by the private Management and Training Corporation (MTC).

[16] MTC was repeatedly cited for problems with poor treatment of prisoners, and abuses within the facility.