10 Safest Cities in Mississippi (With Pictures)

Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

Mississippi is generally regarded as a safer state to live in. Overall, it has a lower crime rate than most of the United States. The crime rate is only 2.8, currently, while the average in the United States is 3.6 violent crimes per 1,000 people. Therefore, Mississippi is quite a bit safer than average.

In fact, when compared to surrounding states, Mississippi has the second-lowest crime rate. Kentucky is the safest in the area, with a violent crime rate of 2.2.

With that said, Mississippi is well known for its high property crimes. While the number of property crimes has decreased over the last few years, it is still higher than the national average. Therefore, you can expect more property crimes in most cities in Mississippi, mainly due to poverty.

According to the US Census Bureau, the poverty rate of Mississippi is currently 18.7%, which is much higher than the national average of 13.4%, which likely explains the increase in property crimes.

10 Safest Cities in Mississippi: A Quick Look

1. Madison

Madison is by far the safest community in Mississippi. However, much of this is due to the higher-than-average income. Affluent communities tend to be safer, which is likely why Madison has such a lower crime rate than other communities out there.

This decently populous community has a low violent crime and property crime rate, putting you at a lower risk for practically any crime. However, the cost of living is also quite high, which means that the community is not accessible to many families.

2. Brandon

Brandon is another decently affluent community that also happens to be one of the safest in the area. However, this community has a slightly higher violent crime rate, so it isn’t quite as safe as Madison. The property crime rate is a bit lower, but it has decreased over the last few years. It likely won’t be lower for longer.

This community is suburban and is decently close to Jackson, where many people living in their area work and visit for entertainment. The education system is quite good and often ranks on the higher side. (US News)

3. Horn Lake

Horn Lake has a similar violent crime rate to Brandon. However, the violent crime rate is nearly three times as high. You’re much more likely to experience a theft or similar crime in Horn Lake than you are in Brandon, which is why it ranks lower on this list.

This area is known as a sparse suburban area. It is often described as pleasant and quiet, and the lower violent crime rate is appreciated. However, many people do not enjoy the high property crime rate, although it has decreased over the last few years. Infrastructure is also lacking, as the roads are often described as being in poor condition.

4. D’iberville

We struggled with where to put D’iberville on this list. While the property crime rate is quite high, the violent crime rate is very low. Your odds of getting caught in an assault or murder are some of the lowest in the state. However, you are very likely to be involved in a property crime.

This community is very close to Biloxi, which is its main draw. It has a decent education system with plenty of restaurants and other entertaining places nearby. The population is growing, but the area is not quite large.

5. South Haven

South Haven is barely in Mississippi. It is often considered a suburb of Memphis, which is a city in Tennessee. However, it does not have the extremely high crime rate of Memphis, which is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.

This town is one of the most populated on this list, with twice the population of most other safe communities. Therefore, it has quite a few restaurants, services, and entertainment options. The housing is known for being affordable, and the schools are decent.

6. Ocean Springs

Ocean Springs is best known for its strong community, which is necessary due to its need to continuously rebuild from hurricanes. The downtown area is often described as very charming, and most residents agree that there are plenty of shops and restaurants.

The crime rate is higher than what we have seen thus far, but it is still lower than the average in the state. The property crime rate is much higher than we’d like to see, though.

Overall, this down is still safer than most, but its higher crime rate pushed it down to number six.

7. Ridgeland

Ridgeland is very close to Madison, which is the safest community in Mississippi. Ridgeland is also considered to be one of the safer places to live, though it has a lower average income and a slightly higher violent crime rate.

This small town has a range of restaurants and other businesses, though not as many as more populated areas. Residents describe the cost of living to be decently low, including rent, which is lower than the national average. It also isn’t far from Jackson, which is where many residents commute to.

8. Hattiesburg

This community has a lower-than-average violent crime rate. However, it has a very high property crime rate. Therefore, while you may not have a very high chance of being involved in a violent crime, the odds of you being involved in theft are quite high.

Still, many residents describe it as a pleasant place to live. The average household income is much lower than most other locations on this list. The higher population means that there are plenty of restaurants and shops to frequent.

9. Gautier

Gautier is located along the coast – not too far from Ocean Springs, which we discussed earlier. While this community is slightly less safe than Ocean Springs, it is still one of the safer places to live in the state. Property crime rates are pretty high, though, largely due to the higher poverty rate of 16.1%. (Census Bureau).

However, those who live here often describe it as being low in social and shopping opportunities. There isn’t much here besides fast food, which is a bit strange given the population. Therefore, it is best for those who want to live in a rural area. Many people are disappointed that Ocean Springs is flourishing so close by, but Gautier seems not to be changing much.

10. Pascagoula

Pascagoula is a stone’s through away from Ocean Springs and Gautier, right along the coast. However, it has a decently high property crime rate, largely because it also has a high poverty rate. (Census Bureau)

The schools in this area are quite good, but that’s about the biggest positive this area has. Many residents complained about this town’s roads. There is also a known homeless problem. However, there do seem to be many job opportunities and budding student life.

What City Has the Lowest Crime Rate in Mississippi?

There are two types of crimes: violent crimes and property crimes. Violent crimes are those where someone gets hurt – think murder and assault. However, property crimes are when property only gets hurt. It isn’t victimless, as someone is financially hurt when theft occurs, or property is broken. However, no one is hurt physically.

These crime rates are calculated separately, as they can point to separate things. For instance, if the property rate is only high, it may simply be because the area has a low poverty rate. When people do not have enough money to get the things they need, they steal or get them through other means.

Violent crimes are a bit different. In Mississippi, the place with the lowest violent crime rate is Madison, which also happens to have the lowest property crime rate.

In Mississippi, there are quite a few places that have a low violent crime rate. However, property crime rates tend to be surprisingly high.

How to Stay Safe in Mississippi

Violent crime is pretty rare in Mississippi. Therefore, if you’re speaking only of bodily harm, Mississippi is pretty safe as a whole. There are not areas that are extremely dangerous like there are in some other states. Therefore, you’re pretty well off staying just about anywhere.

However, property crime rates can be quite high. There are several reasons for this. It is likely due to Mississippi having a high poverty rate. The large majority of property crimes are theft, which tends to happen more in high-poverty areas.

Living in smaller towns is always recommended, as these areas usually have lower crime rates. However, quite a few larger coastal areas are surprisingly safe in Mississippi. As you might imagine, choosing one of these low-crime areas is essential to staying safe.

With that said, it isn’t necessarily enough to choose a house in low-crime areas. You also have to ensure that you aren’t commuting to a more dangerous area. Some of the suburbs surrounding more dangerous cities may be safe, but you aren’t really safer if you are going into the more-dangerous city.

Conclusion

Mississippi has high property crime levels but relatively low violent crime levels. Therefore, your chance of being involved in a violent crime is relatively low, though your chance of having something stolen can be common.

While this state does have lower-than-average crime levels, it isn’t the safest in the area. Even the safest towns don’t have violent crime rates of zero, which is common in other states. Therefore, even the safest towns in Mississippi will be more dangerous than the safest towns in some other states, like Tennessee or Kentucky.

Therefore, while the state is safer overall, that doesn’t seem to be because it is full of very safe cities – it just doesn’t have many extremely unsafe cities.

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