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 for 2019:
- McComb (Photos)
- Greenwood (Photos)
- Vicksburg (Photos)
- Jackson (Photos)
- Biloxi (Photos)
- Pascagoula (Photos)
- Laurel (Photos)
- Gulfport (Photos)
- Holly Springs (Photos)
- Meridian (Photos)
After analyzing 30 cities in Mississippi, why did McComb 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.
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Mississippi
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Mississippi
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Mississippi
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Mississippi
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Mississippi for 2019?
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 2017 data, specifically the 2017 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2019.
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 30 cities in Mississippi.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 30 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 — McComb.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Mississippi.
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 2015-17, with residents facing a 1 in 161 chance of being the victim of violence in 2017.
McComb’s property crime statistics also remained relatively high during this period.
Greenwood is located on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta, a region known as the Most Southern Place on Earth.
Greenwood itself has seen a 12% drop in violent crime between 2015-17, but also a 10% hike in property crime, meaning there was very little net gain for the city during this period.
Located on the Louisiana border, east of the Mississippi River, Vicksburg is the 3rd most dangerous city in Mississippi.
The good news is that violent crime dropped between 2015-17.
For perspective, Vicksburg’s 2011 crime statistics would have ranked the city 4th in violent crime, and 2nd in property crime.
Unfortunately, Mississippi’s capital and largest city, Jackson, finishes 4th 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 2015-17.
That left Jackson residents with a 1 in 141 chance of being the victim of violence each year. but hey, at least property crime only ranks 11th worst in the Magnolia State.
Biloxi has experienced an unfortunate boom in its crime rate recently.
Between 2015-17, violent crime and property crime increased.
That left residents of Biloxi with a 1 in 15.6 chance of being the victim of a property crime and a 1 in 259 chance of being the victim of violence in 2017.
Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Pascagoula is the 6th most dangerous city in Mississippi.
Its high ranking has a lot to do with a 76% hike in violent crime between 2015-17, which, to be fair, still left Pascagoula with less violent crime than Jackson.
In any case, property crime statistics have remained relatively high, with residents facing a 1 in 15.1 chance of being the victim of theft or arson every year.
Today, Laurel is the 7th most dangerous city in the state.
Unlike other cities on the list, Laurel has seen a recent boom in crime, with violent crime going up from 2015-17, and property crime also going up.
Watch your wallet in Laurel, because there’s a 1 in 20.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime while you’re there.
You have a 1 in 19.9 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Gulfport and a 1 in 243 chance of being the victim of a violent crime.
This smallish city, Holly Springs ranks as one of the most dangerous places in Mississippi.
Violent crime has been held steady in recent years and property crime has fallen.
Still, a 1 in 29.7 chance of being the victim of a property crime hardly seems like a cause for celebration.
Meridian, located in the central-eastern part of the state about 90 miles east of Jackson, is the 10th most dangerous and 7th most violent city in Mississippi.
Violent crime has remained high from 2015-17, during which time property crime fell by only small amounts.
Locking It All Up In Mississippi
The latest FBI crime data shows that McComb ranks as the most dangerous city in Mississippi for 2019.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in McComb and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in Mississippi:
- Brandon (Pop. 24,125)
- Madison (Pop. 26,339)
- Petal (Pop. 10,743)
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Mississippi For 2018
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Mississippi
- 10 Safest Places In Mississippi
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Mississippi
Detailed List Of The Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McComb | 12,812 |
| 2 | Greenwood | 14,146 |
| 3 | Vicksburg | 22,772 |
| 4 | Jackson | 168,397 |
| 5 | Biloxi | 46,263 |
| 6 | Pascagoula | 21,928 |
| 7 | Laurel | 18,790 |
| 8 | Gulfport | 72,792 |
| 9 | Holly Springs | 7,682 |
| 10 | Meridian | 38,778 |
| 11 | Batesville | 7,380 |
| 12 | Brookhaven | 12,334 |
| 13 | Hattiesburg | 47,116 |
| 14 | Gautier | 18,451 |
| 15 | D’Iberville | 11,852 |
| 16 | Ocean Springs | 17,698 |
| 17 | West Point | 10,817 |
| 18 | Starkville | 25,852 |
| 19 | Waveland | 6,426 |
| 20 | Flowood | 9,032 |
| 21 | Ridgeland | 24,551 |
| 22 | Oxford | 24,071 |
| 23 | Clinton | 25,202 |
| 24 | Southaven | 53,928 |
| 25 | Byram | 11,549 |
| 26 | Horn Lake | 27,199 |
| 27 | Pass Christian | 5,902 |
| 28 | Brandon | 24,125 |
| 29 | Madison | 26,339 |
| 30 | Petal | 10,743 |
After studying these statistics, and knowing both McComb and Jackson, I will still take my chances in McComb rather than Jackson. I dread the thought of even driving through Jackson on either I-55 or I-20. I get through that city as quickly as possible. I loved for 8 years in Jackson from 1972-1980. It was dangerous enough back then, but nothing compared to today.
Apparently the people who wrote this article don’t know the difference between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Given that, I doubt the reliability of anything they publish.