If you’ve ever been to Eureka St. in Batesville or North St. in Brookhaven, you know that Mississippi has some dangerous places.
But what cities in Mississippi are the most dangerous? Well, we created a report of the most dangerous cities in Mississipi for 2026 based on violent and property crimes per capita.
We analyzed 36 Mississippi cities with over 5,000 residents. We discovered that Mississippi is slightly above the national average for property crime and comparable to the national average for violent crime.
So put on some bluegrass and grab some Mississippi mud pie as you learn about the top ten most dangerous places.
1,052 violent crimes /100k · 3,788 property crimes /100k · #1 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Jones County, MississippiWith six rankings on our HomeSnacks lists, Laurel, Mississippi is sure to have something for everyone. It’s on the cheapest places to live list, the best places to retire in Mississippi list.
Unfortunately, if you live in Laurel, it’s also on the most dangerous cities in Mississippi list. You have a 1 in 95 chance of being a victim of a violent crime and 1 in 26 chance of being a victim of a property crime. Laurel is located halfway between Hattiesburg and Meridian off I-59.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
617 violent crimes /100k · 3,811 property crimes /100k · #4 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Warren County, MississippiVicksburg was once a crucial trading spot along the Mississippi River. So much so that a Confederate surrender there on July 4, 1863, marked a crucial turning point in the Civil War. At one point, this was one of the most important locations in the entire country. But then again, so was Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
These days? Well, river traffic isn’t what it used to be. You can check out some of the historical monuments around town. But doing so forces you to take on some risk. Yes, the chances of getting shot by Union snipers is substantially lower than it was back in 1863. But, that said, the odds of getting your car stolen or suffering a random assault are much higher.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
344 violent crimes /100k · 4,758 property crimes /100k · #10 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Panola County, MississippiThis Homesnacks list is the only one that Batesville, Mississippi made. Unfortunately, you really don’t want your town to be on the list for most dangerous cities in Mississippi. Ranked tenth highest in violent crime and second highest in property crime, you’re more likely to be a victim of murder or rape than getting your car or cell phone stolen.
Batesville is Panola County’s largest community and one of two county seats. If you take a stroll on Batesville Main Street, a popular tourist attraction, better be aware of your surroundings.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
326 violent crimes /100k · 4,871 property crimes /100k · #11 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Jackson County, MississippiEven though Pascagoula is on the most dangerous cities list this year, the people of this town have something to celebrate. Pascagoula is up 7 from last year, but it still ranks highest in property crime. That means you have a 1 in 20 chance of being a victim of larceny, car theft, or arson. You’ll need to make sure you lock your doors and keep an eye on your personal belongings.
Known as the “Singing River” city located near the Gulf of Mexico, Pascagoula’s name is derived from a Native American tribe known as the “bread eaters”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
391 violent crimes /100k · 3,777 property crimes /100k · #7 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Lee County, MississippiTupelo is the county seat and the largest city of Lee County, Mississippi. The seventh-largest city in the state, it is situated in Northeast Mississippi, between Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama. It is accessed by Interstate 22. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,546, with the surrounding counties of Lee, Pontotoc and Itawamba supporting a population of 139,671
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
630 violent crimes /100k · 2,506 property crimes /100k · #3 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Monroe County, MississippiAmory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,316 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
384 violent crimes /100k · 2,843 property crimes /100k · #8 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Bolivar County, MississippiThis isn’t LeBron’s Cleveland. It’s not the Cleveland that claims ownership over rock n’ roll. It’s not even the Cleveland where you can make fun of the fact that the river once caught fire. No, that Cleveland is in Ohio. This one sits in west-central Mississippi, although it does have a museum centered around the Grammy awards, so there’s a music connection for its sister city along Lake Erie.
Otherwise, the claim to fame for this Cleveland centers around its ferocious crime rate. In fact, it counts as the number 7 most dangerous spot in Mississippi. This includes high rates of almost every crime on the books, with 289 property crimes and 39 violent crimes in a population of 10,165.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
354 violent crimes /100k · 3,140 property crimes /100k · #9 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Alcorn County, MississippiCorinth was originally known as Cross City. Not for religious reasons — it sat at the point where two railroads crossed. That history is commemorated in the Crossroads Museum, full of memorabilia from both railroading history and the Civil War. (The town was also the sight of a famous clash during the War Between the States, as they like to call it in these parts.)
Located in in the far northern part of the state, along the Tennessee border, that crossroads vibe still hangs in the air. Good thing too — better to make a quick escape. This area teems with criminal activity, including the number 4 rate of burglaries in the state. Robberies and violent crimes also happen at a high rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
524 violent crimes /100k · 2,490 property crimes /100k · #5 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Neshoba County, MississippiPhiladelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,477 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
507 violent crimes /100k · 2,080 property crimes /100k · #6 most violent in Mississippi
Located in
Clay County, MississippiAlthough West Point ranks as one of the best places to raise a family and one of the best places to retire in Mississippi, you still have to watch where you go in this town of 9,665 people. You have a 1 in 48 chance of experiencing a burglary or car theft and a 1 in 197 chance of being a victim of a violent crime. Those are big numbers for a town with such a small population.
Located in the northeast section of Mississippi, West Point is part of what is known as the Golden Triangle region of the state.
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.
On the map
Where crime hits hardest in Mississippi
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Mississippi for 2026?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Mississippi. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Mississippi, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the 2024 data, specifically the 2024 Crime In The United States Report for Mississippi.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Mississippi cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 36 cities in Mississippi.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 36 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Mississippi — Laurel. Any ties went to the smaller city.
This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our eleventh time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Mississippi and is updated for 2026.
The full plate
Crime By City In Mississippi
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Dangerous Index | Population | Total Crimes Per 100K | Violent Crimes Per 100K | Property Crimes Per 100K | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | 2.50 | 16,922 | 4,840 | 1,052 | 3,788 | 4 |
| 2 | Vicksburg | 3.50 | 19,785 | 4,428 | 617 | 3,811 | 4 |
| 3 | Batesville | 6.00 | 7,272 | 5,102 | 344 | 4,758 | 1 |
| 4 | Pascagoula | 6.00 | 21,455 | 5,197 | 326 | 4,871 | 1 |
| 5 | Tupelo | 6.00 | 37,593 | 4,168 | 391 | 3,777 | 4 |
| 6 | Amory | 7.50 | 6,346 | 3,136 | 630 | 2,506 | 0 |
| 7 | Cleveland | 8.50 | 10,165 | 3,227 | 384 | 2,843 | 2 |
| 8 | Corinth | 8.50 | 14,142 | 3,493 | 354 | 3,140 | 0 |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 9.00 | 6,867 | 3,014 | 524 | 2,490 | 0 |
| 10 | West Point | 10.50 | 9,665 | 2,587 | 507 | 2,080 | 2 |
| 11 | Booneville | 11.00 | 9,075 | 3,890 | 242 | 3,647 | 2 |
| 12 | Hattiesburg | 12.50 | 48,307 | 3,687 | 221 | 3,465 | 6 |
| 13 | Picayune | 15.00 | 11,860 | 2,884 | 185 | 2,698 | 2 |
| 14 | Southaven | 15.00 | 57,537 | 2,329 | 304 | 2,025 | 1 |
| 15 | Forest | 16.50 | 5,232 | 1,586 | 707 | 879 | 0 |
| 16 | Pontotoc | 16.50 | 5,966 | 2,129 | 251 | 1,877 | 0 |
| 17 | Gautier | 16.50 | 19,023 | 2,171 | 247 | 1,924 | 0 |
| 18 | Ridgeland | 18.00 | 24,407 | 1,700 | 320 | 1,381 | 4 |
| 19 | Bay St. Louis | 19.00 | 10,901 | 2,477 | 119 | 2,358 | 1 |
| 20 | Senatobia | 19.50 | 8,263 | 1,840 | 230 | 1,610 | 0 |
| 21 | Kosciusko | 21.00 | 6,765 | 1,803 | 177 | 1,626 | 1 |
| 22 | Waveland | 21.50 | 6,923 | 2,716 | 72 | 2,643 | 0 |
| 23 | Oxford | 21.50 | 27,529 | 1,980 | 127 | 1,853 | 1 |
| 24 | Olive Branch | 22.00 | 47,178 | 1,558 | 199 | 1,359 | 0 |
| 25 | Starkville | 22.50 | 25,344 | 2,119 | 83 | 2,036 | 3 |
| 26 | Horn Lake | 24.00 | 26,378 | 1,509 | 110 | 1,399 | 1 |
| 27 | Petal | 28.00 | 11,505 | 522 | 130 | 391 | 1 |
| 28 | Byram | 28.00 | 12,526 | 1,054 | 96 | 958 | 1 |
| 29 | New Albany | 29.00 | 7,733 | 1,216 | 78 | 1,138 | 0 |
| 30 | Long Beach | 29.50 | 17,053 | 1,073 | 82 | 991 | 0 |
| 31 | Clinton | 29.50 | 26,285 | 1,274 | 68 | 1,206 | 0 |
| 32 | Hernando | 30.00 | 18,579 | 565 | 92 | 474 | 2 |
| 33 | Richland | 31.50 | 7,486 | 1,082 | 53 | 1,029 | 0 |
| 34 | Brandon | 32.00 | 25,905 | 463 | 89 | 374 | 4 |
| 35 | Pass Christian | 34.00 | 6,435 | 808 | 0 | 808 | 0 |
| 36 | Madison | 34.50 | 28,064 | 445 | 57 | 388 | 2 |
Source: FBI UCR 2024. 36 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Locking It All Up In Mississippi
So what is the most dangerous city in Mississippi? After analyzing 36 cities in Mississippi, Laurel takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Mississippi based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2024.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Laurel ranks as the most dangerous city in Mississippi for 2026.
The most dangerous cities in Mississippi are Laurel, Vicksburg, Batesville, Pascagoula, Tupelo, Amory, Cleveland, Corinth, Philadelphia, and West Point.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Laurel and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up. Not sold on Mississippi? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Dangerous Places To Live In Mississippi FAQs
Is Mississippi a dangerous state?
No, Mississippi is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #17 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Mississippi ranks 37th most dangerous in the United States — 21.27% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Magnolia State ranks 23rd most dangerous in the United States — 7.53% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Is Jackson, MS a dangerous city?
Yes, Jackson is a dangerous city. Jackson ranks as the #89 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Jackson might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Fondren North is the safest in Jackson, while Enochs Street-Hyde Park is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Jackson ranks 328th highest in America — 100.0% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 50th highest in the United States — 47.1% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
