Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Mississippi a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Mississippi.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Magnolia State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Mississippi, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 82 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Magnolia State for 2022.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Mississippi For 2022
Madison County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Mississippi. And you might want to avoid Quitman County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Mississippi, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Mississippi and the cheapest places to live in Mississippi.
The Best Counties To Live In Mississippi For 2022
1. Madison County
Biggest Place: Jackson
Population: 105,482
Median Income: $71,621.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $224,300.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (10th best)
More on Madison County: Photos | Data
2. Desoto County
Biggest Place: Southaven
Population: 182,256
Median Income: $69,990.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $177,800.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (14th best)
More on Desoto County: Photos | Data
3. Rankin County
Biggest Place: Jackson
Population: 154,119
Median Income: $68,310.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $165,200.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (15th best)
More on Rankin County: Photos | Data
4. Hancock County
Biggest Place: Bay St. Louis
Population: 47,339
Median Income: $54,860.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $167,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (27th best)
More on Hancock County: Photos | Data
5. Lafayette County
Biggest Place: Oxford
Population: 54,059
Median Income: $53,318.0 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $217,900.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (9th best)
More on Lafayette County: Photos | Data
6. Pearl River County
Biggest Place: Picayune
Population: 55,512
Median Income: $51,538.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $150,800.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (26th best)
More on Pearl River County: Photos | Data
7. Tate County
Biggest Place: Senatobia
Population: 28,419
Median Income: $55,738.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $139,300.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (2best)
More on Tate County: Photos | Data
8. Lee County
Biggest Place: Tupelo
Population: 85,304
Median Income: $55,861.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $140,600.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.6% (24th best)
More on Lee County: Photos | Data
9. Stone County
Biggest Place: Wiggins
Population: 18,282
Median Income: $47,683.0 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $124,500.0 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (33rd best)
More on Stone County: Photos | Data
10. Itawamba County
Biggest Place: Fulton
Population: 23,396
Median Income: $47,649.0 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $90,700.0 (42nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6% (best)
More on Itawamba County: Photos | Data
Methodology: How do you determine which Mississippi county is the best?
To give you the best county in Mississippi, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Mississippi across each of the criteria from one to 82, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Mississippi”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Magnolia State.
Read on to see why Madison County is the best county, while Quitman County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Mississippi.
Summary: The Best Counties In Mississippi To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Mississippi can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Mississippi according to the data:
- Quitman County
- Holmes County
- Humphreys County
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- Safest Places In Mississippi
- Best Places To Buy A House In Mississippi
- Richest Cities In Mississippi
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
