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 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Mississippi For 2021
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 2021
1. Madison County
Biggest Place: Jackson
Population: 104,562
Median Income: $71,824 (best)
Median Home Price: $219,700.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (10th best)
More on Madison County: Photos | Data
2. Rankin County
Biggest Place: Jackson
Population: 152,677
Median Income: $65,996 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $162,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (5th best)
More on Rankin County: Photos | Data
3. Desoto County
Biggest Place: Southaven
Population: 178,975
Median Income: $67,038 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $168,500.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (16th best)
More on Desoto County: Photos | Data
4. Lafayette County
Biggest Place: Oxford
Population: 53,590
Median Income: $50,272 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $199,700.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (20th best)
More on Lafayette County: Photos | Data
5. Lee County
Biggest Place: Tupelo
Population: 85,072
Median Income: $50,559 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $133,700.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (2best)
More on Lee County: Photos | Data
6. Jackson County
Biggest Place: Pascagoula
Population: 142,376
Median Income: $51,657 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $135,900.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.0% (44th best)
More on Jackson County: Photos | Data
7. Tate County
Biggest Place: Senatobia
Population: 28,404
Median Income: $51,030 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $119,200.0 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (25th best)
More on Tate County: Photos | Data
8. Stone County
Biggest Place: Wiggins
Population: 18,276
Median Income: $45,483 (18th best)
Median Home Price: $112,800.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (2nd best)
More on Stone County: Photos | Data
9. Lauderdale County
Biggest Place: Meridian
Population: 76,279
Median Income: $42,534 (27th best)
Median Home Price: $96,300.0 (29th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (15th best)
More on Lauderdale County: Photos | Data
10. Warren County
Biggest Place: Vicksburg
Population: 46,519
Median Income: $45,113 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $128,400.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4% (28th best)
More on Warren County: Photos | Data
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.
There You Have It – 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
- Richest Cities In Mississippi
- Best Counties To Live In Mississippi
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
