If you’re as old as Mississippi’s name is long, you’re about ready to retire.
And there’s no better time than now to start thinking about where you will spend your retirement years.
The Magnolia State is pretty great. So great that we created a list of the best places to retire in Mississippi for 2026. To identify the best places to retire, we looked at the FBI and Census data for 23 cities with 10,000 residents. We considered important factors like crime, affordability, rent, and how close a place is to an international airport.
In general, Mississippi is a solid choice for retirement. The state does not tax retirement income, and its property tax is the lowest in the country.
You’ll have extra funds to spend on a beach vacation to Gulfport or a little leftover cash to take your honey out to a nice fried alligator dinner at Snappers in Biloxi.
$1,382 median rent · $92,783 median income · #19 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Rankin County, Mississippi
Brandon is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi. The population was 21,705 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Rankin County. Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area and located east of the state capital.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,302 median rent · $76,950 median income · #16 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
DeSoto County, Mississippi
Hernando is a city in and the county seat of DeSoto County, which is on the northwest border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,090 at the 2010 census, up from 6,812 in 2000. DeSoto County is the second-most-populous county in the Memphis metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$601 median rent · $44,226 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Alcorn County, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$931 median rent · $41,213 median income · #6 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Pearl River County, Mississippi
Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. Picayune was added to the New Orleans metropolitan area in 2014, however it remains its own town respectively. The city is located approximately 45 miles from New Orleans, Hattiesburg and Gulfport-Biloxi. The Stennis Space Center is 10 miles away.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$820 median rent · $45,781 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Warren County, Mississippi
Vicksburg is the only city and county seat of Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, the state capital. It is located on the Mississippi River across from the state of Louisiana.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,853 median rent · $119,338 median income · #23 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Madison County, Mississippi
Madison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,841 at the 2010 census. The population is currently over 25,000. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,343 median rent · $70,445 median income · #18 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Hinds County, Mississippi
Byram is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,489 as of the 2010 census, up from 7,386 at the 2000 census, at which time it was an unincorporated census-designated place. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was incorporated for a second time in its history on June 16, 2009.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,215 median rent · $70,332 median income · #15 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Harrison County, Mississippi
Long Beach is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,792.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,118 median rent · $74,745 median income · #13 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Hinds County, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 25,216 at the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,179 median rent · $67,442 median income · #14 cheapest rent in Mississippi
Located in
Hancock County, Mississippi
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Mississippi’s statewide median.
Mississippi statewide median: $56,447
Mississippi statewide median: $192,906
On the map
Where to retire in Mississippi
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Magnolia State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Mississippi to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Magnolia State — 362 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 23 places from across the state.
For these 23, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 23, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Brandon, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Mississippi.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Mississippi
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon | 6.40 | 25,542 | $92,783 | $284,755 | $1,382 |
| 2 | Hernando | 7.80 | 17,949 | $76,950 | $344,672 | $1,302 |
| 3 | Corinth | 8.20 | 14,323 | $44,226 | $181,417 | $601 |
| 4 | Picayune | 8.80 | 11,900 | $41,213 | $193,808 | $931 |
| 5 | Vicksburg | 9.20 | 20,589 | $45,781 | $145,564 | $820 |
| 6 | Madison | 10.60 | 27,946 | $119,338 | $410,432 | $1,853 |
| 7 | Byram | 10.80 | 12,799 | $70,445 | $222,108 | $1,343 |
| 8 | Long Beach | 11.00 | 17,009 | $70,332 | $232,929 | $1,215 |
| 9 | Clinton | 12.00 | 27,195 | $74,745 | $237,467 | $1,118 |
| 10 | Bay St. Louis | 12.30 | 10,188 | $67,442 | $236,958 | $1,179 |
| 11 | Petal | 12.40 | 11,294 | $74,750 | $223,366 | $1,047 |
| 12 | Cleveland | 12.40 | 10,623 | $44,074 | $143,488 | $943 |
| 13 | Olive Branch | 13.10 | 47,019 | $100,606 | $331,685 | $1,829 |
| 14 | Tupelo | 13.20 | 37,791 | $66,257 | $203,314 | $976 |
| 15 | Ridgeland | 13.20 | 24,587 | $66,038 | $282,705 | $1,336 |
| 16 | Laurel | 13.20 | 17,679 | $47,661 | $147,337 | $909 |
| 17 | Pascagoula | 13.80 | 21,710 | $52,222 | $143,032 | $894 |
| 18 | Southaven | 13.90 | 56,226 | $78,483 | $274,141 | $1,445 |
| 19 | Horn Lake | 13.90 | 26,647 | $53,311 | $202,373 | $1,435 |
| 20 | Starkville | 14.80 | 25,721 | $42,125 | $279,620 | $916 |
| 21 | Gautier | 14.80 | 19,046 | $61,926 | $190,096 | $1,040 |
| 22 | Oxford | 14.90 | 26,411 | $64,451 | $412,781 | $1,071 |
| 23 | Hattiesburg | 15.30 | 48,619 | $46,342 | $220,234 | $1,005 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 23 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Mississippi Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Mississippi goes to Brandon.
The best places to retire in Mississippi are Brandon, Hernando, Corinth, Picayune, Vicksburg, Madison, Byram, Long Beach, Clinton, and Bay St. Louis.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
