Mississippi’s 10 Safest Cities of 2018

The crime rate among southern states is slightly higher than the national average, but Mississippi bucks that trend. Based on the most recent FBI crime report, Mississippi’s violent crime rate is nearly 15% lower than it is nationwide, and its violent and property crime rates are lower than every neighboring state. Even more impressive is the negligible crime reported by the state’s ten safest cities. With an average of 1.31 violent incidents per 1,000 people, the chance of being a crime victim in these cities is 72% lower than the national average.

Kudos to third-ranked Long Beach, which reported just eleven violent crimes—the fewest of any city on our list. And congratulations to Madison, Mississippi’s safest city, which also experienced the lowest overall property crime rate. We reached out to Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler—one of the longest serving mayors in the US—to hear her thoughts about the city’s nominal criminal activity. She told SafeWise, “We know safety is critical to Madison’s continued economic development and our citizens’ high quality of life—ensuring Police Chief Gene Waldrop has all the tools and financial resources he needs to do his job effectively is our top priority.” In addition to being the safest city in the Magnolia State, Madison is also the Most Successful City in Mississippi based on factors such as income, unemployment, and education rate, according to career website Zippia.

No city is crime-free—in America, a violent crime occurs approximately every twenty-five seconds, and a property crime takes place every four seconds. But there are things you can do to help increase your safety and security, including exploring our Mississippi Safety Directory. Here you’ll find numerous resources on everything from emergency preparedness to crime prevention tips.

The 10 Safest Cities in Mississippi

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Mississippi

To identify the ten safest cities in Mississippi, we reviewed the 2016 FBI crime report statistics and population data. Cities that fell below identified population thresholds or that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were excluded from the ranking system.

Our evaluation is based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) in each city. If there was a tie, we also factored in the number of property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). To level the playing field, we calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city. This makes it easier to directly compare the likelihood of these crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations.

Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.

How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere

Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.

To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for  Best Home Security Systems of 2018.

If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.