These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi For 2018

Do you live in one of the most dangerous cities in Mississippi?

We all watch the news and see reports on Facebook of the latest crimes that happen in our hometowns. But it can be hard to tell at a big picture level how dangerous our town actually is.

No one wants to feel unsafe, and statistically speaking, odds are that where you live is most likely relatively safe. In order to help the good people of Mississippi — and anyone looking to move to Mississippi — know just how close they are to danger, we took data from the annual FBI report and did some serious analysis.

The data shows that these ten cities are currently the most dangerous in the Magnolia State:

1. Vicksburg (Photos)
2. McComb (Photos)
3. Jackson (Photos)
4. Biloxi (Photos)
5. Natchez (Photos)
6. Picayune (Photos)
7. Meridian (Photos)
8. Hattiesburg (Photos)
9. Greenville (Photos)
10. Gulfport (Photos)

Why did Vicksburg take the top spot? For the answer to this question and a detailed explanation of the data and analysis we used in creating this ranking, read on. Or learn more about the safest places in Mississippi.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.

How we determined the most dangerous cities in Mississippi for 2018?

Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.

For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2016 data, specifically the 2016 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available for 2017 in October 2018.

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 cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 31 cities in Mississippi.

We then ranked each city from 1 to 31 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 — Vicksburg. Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Mississippi.

Here’s a visualization of the criteria:

Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Mississippi.

1. Vicksburg

Population: 22,986
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 5)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 587
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,221
More on Vicksburg: Data | Photos | Rankings
Located on the Louisiana border, east of the Mississippi River, Vicksburg is the 1st most dangerous city in Mississippi.

The good news is that violent crime dropped between 2014-16.

For perspective, Vicksburg’s 2011 crime statistics would have ranked the city 4th in violent crime, and 2nd in property crime.

2. Mccomb

Population: 12,632
Rank Last Year: N/A
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 506
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,375
More on McComb: Data | Photos | Rankings
Located in the southwestern part of Mississippi, McComb is the third most violent city in the state, and it’s only been getting worse.

Violent crime rose by 15% between 2014-16, with residents facing a 1 in 161 chance of being the victim of violence in 2016.

McComb’s property crime statistics also remained relatively high during this period.

3. Jackson

Population: 170,070
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 853
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,635
Unfortunately, Mississippi’s capital and largest city, Jackson, finishes 3rd on the list of most dangerous cities in the state.

And from recent trends, Jackson has shown no indication of giving up its spot as the most violent city in Mississippi; its violent crime numbers remained high from 2014-16.

That left Jackson residents with a 1 in 117 chance of being the victim of violence each year. but hey, at least property crime only ranks 11th worst in the Magnolia State.

4. Biloxi

Population: 45,952
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 393
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,834
Biloxi is the 4th most dangerous city in Mississippi overall.

From 2015, the property crime rate dropped, which is good news for people who like knowing that their stuff is safe.

The bad news for people who like their safety, though, is that violent crime ranks 9th in Mississippi.

5. Natchez

Population: 15,003
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 426
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,032
Natchez ranks as the 5th most dangerous city in Mississippi.

Over 15,003 people jam pack Natchez which must contribute to its high level of property crime (8th highest overall). Violent crime is a bit less of an issue placing 7th overall.

6. Picayune

Population: 10,631
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 442
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,816
Picayune has the 9th worst property crime rate in the state.

Property crime rose between 2014-16, leaving residents of Picayune with a 1 in 20.8 chance of being the victim of theft or arson in 2016.

At least violent crime fell during this interval.

7. Meridian

Population: 39,364
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 594
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,605
Meridian, located in the central-eastern part of the state about 90 miles east of Jackson, is the 7th most dangerous and 3rd most violent city in Mississippi.

Violent crime has remained high from 2014-16, during which time property crime fell by only small amounts.

8. Hattiesburg

Population: 47,006
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 312
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,854
Hattiesburg, a representive from Forrest County finds itself as one of the most dangerous cities in Mississippi.

Hattiesburg’s ranking for violent crime and property were 12th and 4th, respectively.

Hattiesburg is a bit off the beaten path, yet it still manages its fair share of crime.

9. Greenville

Population: 31,732
Rank Last Year: N/A
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 277
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,205
Another “green” city, Greenville is located 50 miles west of Greenwood and is known as the Heart & Soul of the Delta, which by the transitive property makes it the Heart & Soul of the Most Southern Place on Earth.

Well the good news for this vital city is that its violent crime statistics put it in the middle of the pack compared to other cities in the state.

The bad news is that the 1 in 13 chance that Greenville residents face of being the victim of a property crime each year is the highest rate in all of Mississippi.

10. Gulfport

Population: 72,668
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 313
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,254
Gulfport almost escaped being included on this list, but being the 10th most violent city in the state kept it in the top ten most dangerous.

Residents of Gulfport had a 1 in 318 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in 2016.

Property crime also went down to a 1 in 19.0 chance in 2014-16, meaning, if the trends continue, Gulfport may avoid this list altogether come next year.

Locking It All Up In Mississippi

The latest FBI crime data shows that Vicksburg ranks as the most dangerous city in Mississippi for 2018.

However, there will be new data coming out later this year. At that point we can revisit Vicksburg’s status — that is if they haven’t beaten us all up already.

If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in Mississippi:

1. Madison
2. Petal
3. Brandon

For more Mississippi reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Mississippi
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi
• These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In Mississippi

Detailed List Of The Most Dangeroues Cities In Mississippi

City	Rank	Previous Rank	Population	Violent Crimes Per Capita	Property Crimes Per Capita
Vicksburg	1	6	22,986	587	6,221
Mccomb	2	–	12,632	506	5,375
Jackson	3	4	170,070	853	4,635
Biloxi	4	3	45,952	393	5,834
Natchez	5	8	15,003	426	5,032
Picayune	6	9	10,631	442	4,816
Meridian	7	5	39,364	594	4,605
Hattiesburg	8	10	47,006	312	5,854
Greenville	9	–	31,732	277	6,205
Gulfport	10	12	72,668	313	5,254
Holly Springs	11	7	7,596	1,632	3,225
Laurel	12	11	18,894	418	4,477
Waveland	13	–	6,382	266	4,669
D’Iberville	14	13	11,795	118	7,028
Ridgeland	15	16	24,406	340	2,986
Batesville	16	2	7,371	257	4,015
Gautier	17	21	18,566	280	3,145
Flowood	18	17	8,879	259	3,547
Ocean Springs	19	14	17,688	158	3,827
West Point	20	15	10,935	256	2,880
Amory	21	22	7,022	142	3,161
Oxford	22	24	23,052	169	2,802
Pass Christian	23	18	5,690	175	2,636
Olive Branch	24	20	36,513	183	2,552
Southaven	25	–	53,310	110	2,776
Hernando	26	–	15,793	151	2,197
Horn Lake	27	23	27,077	73	2,588
Long Beach	28	25	15,708	70	2,298
Brandon	29	27	23,824	62	902
Petal	30	28	10,747	18	763
Madison	31	26	26,119	53	758