Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Mississippi?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Mississippi.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Magnolia State for 2020:
- Jackson (Photos)
- Brookhaven (Photos)
- Vicksburg (Photos)
- Meridian (Photos)
- Pascagoula (Photos)
- Gulfport (Photos)
- West Point (Photos)
- Ocean Springs (Photos)
- Laurel (Photos)
- Gautier (Photos)
The city with highest murder rate in Mississippi? That would be Brookhaven with 57.7 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? Jackson with 78.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were ‘only’ 14 cities in Mississippi where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 12 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Magnolia State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Mississippi
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Mississippi
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Mississippi For 2020
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital city and largest urban center of the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is the primary seat of Hinds County, equally sharing its county power with Raymond, Mississippi. The City of Jackson also owns more than 3,000 acres comprising Jackson-Medgar Evers International Airport in Rankin County. Jackson is on the Pearl River, which drains into the Gulf of Mexico, and it is part of the Jackson Prairie region of the state. The city is named after General Andrew Jackson, who was honored for his role in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and later served as U.S. president.
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, 60 miles south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the Town of Brookhaven, New York by founder Samuel Jayne in 1818.
Vicksburg is the only city and county seat of Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, the state capital. It is located on the Mississippi River across from the state of Louisiana.
Meridian is the sixth largest city in the state of Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. Along major highways, the city is 93mi east of Jackson, Mississippi; 154mi southwest of Birmingham, Alabama; 202mi northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana; and 231mi southeast of Memphis, Tennessee.
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city of Gulfport had a total population of 67,793. Gulfport is co-county seat with Biloxi of Harrison County, Mississippi. Gulfport is also home to the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees.
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately 2 miles east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city of Ocean Springs had a population of 17,442.
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,548. It is located northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. Laurel has the second county courthouse, as there are two judicial districts in Jones County.
Gautier is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, along the Gulf of Mexico west of Pascagoula. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,572 at the 2010 census. In 2002, Gautier annexed land nearly doubling its population to 18,413 by 2010, according to the Gautier Comprehensive Plan 2030.
How we calculated the murder capitals of Mississippi
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in Mississippi for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 14 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It – The Places With The Most Murders In Mississippi For 2020
If you’re looking at the places in Mississippi with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
For more mississippi reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Mississippi
- 10 Safest Places In Mississippi
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Mississippi
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Mississippi
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Mississippi For 2020
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson, MS | 78.0 |
| 2 | Brookhaven, MS | 7.0 |
| 3 | Vicksburg, MS | 9.0 |
| 4 | Meridian, MS | 4.0 |
| 5 | Pascagoula, MS | 3.0 |
| 6 | Gulfport, MS | 4.0 |
| 7 | West Point, MS | 1.0 |
| 8 | Ocean Springs, MS | 1.0 |
| 9 | Laurel, MS | 1.0 |
| 10 | Gautier, MS | 1.0 |
| 11 | Clinton, MS | 1.0 |
| 12 | Starkville, MS | 1.0 |
| 13 | Biloxi, MS | 1.0 |
| 14 | Southaven, MS | 1.0 |
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