Mammalian reproduction is highly energy intensive, and requires an animal to prioritize feeding or sociosexual interaction, depending on need and opportunity. We have recently shown that two leptin-sensitive populations – leptin receptor-expressing (LepRLH) and neurotensin-expressing (NtsLH) neurons of the lateral hypothalamus – act in a complementary manner to enable resistance to hunger and gate the pursuit of social needs (Petzold et al., Cell Metab 2023).Currently, using single-cell Ca2+ imaging in freely moving mice, we found that LepRLH neurons not only preferentially encoded conspecifics of the opposite sex – potential mates – but specifically encoded sexual behaviors. Optogenetic activation of LepRLH neurons modulated sociality in a sex-specific manner. Conversely, while NtsLH neurons encoded social stimuli - albeit to a lesser degree than LepRLH neurons – they did not differentiate between the sexes. When animals are given a choice between the exploration of a conspecifc or food, feeding and socializing are typically balanced. Optogenetic activation of LepRLH neurons increases preference for social exploration over food, while activation of NtsLH neurons increases preference for food over social exploration. We analyzed the projection profile of both populations in detail and determined specific, non-overlapping thalamic targets. Activation of LepRLH inputs into the IAM increased sociality akin to somatic LepRLH stimulation, indicating that this nucleus constitutes a thalamic output node for the leptin-mediated control over social behaviors.In summary, distinct lateral hypothalamic populations enable the flexible fulfilment of competing essential needs in the face of conflicting opportunities through projections to distinct thalamic nuclei.