Mississippi’s Safest Cities of 2024

Alina Bradford
Mar 18, 2024
Icon Time To Read3 min read
SafeWise is pleased to release the 10th annual Safest Cities report.

Here are the 10 Safest Cities in Mississippi for 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our most recent State of Safety survey, only 35% of Mississippians said they feel safe in their state, despite the state boasting the lowest violent crime rate in the country. Its property crime rate is the nineteenth-lowest in the US.

Mississippi is doing better than the year before, gradually becoming one of our safest states. Its violent crime rate is 90% lower than the national average, and its property crime rate is 12% lower than the national average. 

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NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2022.

2024 Mississippi crime rates

Image: SafeWise

Mississippi's violent crime rate decreased year over year from 2.4 reported per 1,000 residents to 0.4. That drastic decline may be because of fewer cities throughout the state reporting crimes to the FBI.

Property crime increased from 17.9 property crimes in 1,000 people to 18.2. Overall, Mississippi reported around 1,300 violent crimes and over 53,000 property crimes in the reporting year.

Property crime in Mississippi: Fear vs. reality

Property crime rose year over year from 17.9 to 18.2 incidents per 1,000 people and 6 in 10 of Mississippi residents surveyed said they are highly concerned about property crime. 

  • Concern about property crime rose 13% year over year.
  • 28% said they had personal experience with property crime during the 12 reporting months—a 13% decline year over year.
  • 31% of participants reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, putting Mississippi below the US average of 35%.
  • 22% of Mississippians surveyed use no form of property protection. This is below the 25% average for the US.
  • The top forms of property protection in Mississippi were  security cameras (48%) and firearms (41%). 
  • 4 in 10 respondents (41%) told us they increased their security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey.

What security measures are used the most in Mississippi?

Security measures used most often in Mississippi: security cameras, firearms, guard dogs.

Image: SafeWise


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What crimes are Mississippi residents concerned about most?

Image: SafeWise

Violent crime in Mississippi: Fear vs. reality

The amount of Mississippi residents that say they feel safe in their state rose 3% year over year. Despite the lowest violent crime rate in the nation, only 35% say they feel safe (US 45%). This may be because of an increase of mass shooting events statewide. 

  • 56% of survey respondents said they're highly concerned about violent crime—a bump of 2% compared to last year's report.
  • 23% of survey respondents reported having a personal experience with violent crime 12 months prior to the survey—up from 18% last year.
  • 49% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection like stun guns or pepper spray. This is more than most Americans—the national average lands at 36%.
  • 6 in 10 respondents (61%) who use any personal protection, prefer to carry concealed firearms—that's 20 points higher than most of the country.

Attitudes about gun violence in Mississippi

  • Mississippi had 25 mass shootings, an increase of 78.6% year over year. In 2022, 14 mass shooting events were reported.
  • 21% of residents surveyed reported an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey—that's a 62% increase year over year. The national average is 12%.
  • Guns are the most popular form of personal protection. 60% said they use a concealed weapon as a form of personal protection (US 41%). 
  • Firearms are the second-most popular property security measure in the state—41% use them compared to 28% nationwide.
  • 53% of those surveyed are worried about a gun violence incident happening to them (US 51%).

A closer look at the safest cities in Mississippi

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

  • This year, Petal toppled Madison to claim the top spot on our list.
  • Three cities climbed five spots or more to become one of Mississippi's safest cities: Waveland, Richland, and Byram.
  • None of the top 10 safest cities reported more than 3.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
  • Madison and Long Beach had zero reports of rape.
  • Holly Springs had the lowest amount of property crimes, reporting only 21 for the year (that's 4 fewer than last year!).
  • Hernando and Holly Springs reported the fewest burglaries, with fewer than 10 each.

The 10 safest cities in Mississippi

Image: SafeWise

#1
Petal
(
+2
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    11,580
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.7, 1.4, 0.6
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.3, 5.0, 3.8
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Madison, Mississippi
#2
Madison
(
-1
Down
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    27,674
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, 0.2, N/A
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    5.9, 4.6, N/A
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#3
Hernando
(
+1
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    17,622
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.9, 0.8, 0.7
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    5.4, 9.2, 10.0
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Brandon, Mississippi
#4
Brandon
(
-2
Down
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    25,636
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    1.1, 0.5, 1.0
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.9, 5.0, 7.3
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Clinton, Mississippi
#5
Clinton
(
+3
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    27,001
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.9, 1.8, 0.7
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    11.0, 12.3, 19.0
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#6
Long Beach
(
+3
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    16,944
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, 0.4, 1.1
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    15.6, 19.9, 18.7
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Waveland, Mississippi
#7
Waveland
(
+15
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    6,920
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.7, 1.1, N/A
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    14.6, 34.4, N/A
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#8
Holly Springs
(
-3
Down
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    6,488
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.5, 2.1, N/A
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.2, 3.3, N/A
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Richland, Mississippi
#9
Richland
(
+8
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    7,245
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    1.4, 2.7, 2.2
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    14.1, 18.9, 16.6
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#10
Byram
(
+5
Up
)
  • Circle Population
    Population
    12,299
  • Circle Gun
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    2.4, 2.5, 2.4
  • Circle Property
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    11.1, 18.0, 30.5
  • Info
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.

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Endnotes and sources

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

  • 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
    • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
  • 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.

For over 11 years, SafeWise experts have conducted independent research and testing to create unbiased, human reviews. Learn how we test and review.

Alina Bradford
Written by
Alina is a safety and security expert that has contributed her insights to CNET, CBS, Digital Trends, MTV, Top Ten Reviews, and many others. Her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying one article at a time. In the early 2000s, Alina worked as a volunteer firefighter, earning her first responder certification and paving the way to her current career. Her activities aren’t nearly as dangerous today. Her hobbies include fixing up her 100-year-old house, doing artsy stuff, and going to the lake with her family.

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