Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Mississippi

Mississippi has 72 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Leflore County at 48.5 per 100K , while the safest is Lafayette County at 5.2 per 100K .

64 of 72 counties (89%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Mississippi

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Leflore County 48.5 per 100K +505.6%
2 Washington County 46.9 per 100K +486.0%
3 Holmes County 44.3 per 100K +453.4%
4 Wilkinson County 41.6 per 100K +420.1%
5 Hinds County 40.7 per 100K +408.4%
6 Sharkey County 37.9 per 100K +374.3%
7 Sunflower County 35.9 per 100K +349.0%
8 Coahoma County 33.1 per 100K +313.3%
9 Montgomery County 30.4 per 100K +280.0%
10 Adams County 28.8 per 100K +260.4%

Safest Counties in Mississippi

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
72 Lafayette County 5.2 per 100K -35.3%
71 Pontotoc County 5.4 per 100K -32.6%
70 Rankin County 5.9 per 100K -26.2%
69 Lamar County 6.1 per 100K -23.9%
68 Prentiss County 6.8 per 100K -14.6%
67 George County 7.0 per 100K -12.3%
66 Oktibbeha County 7.1 per 100K -11.3%
65 Stone County 7.8 per 100K -2.0%
64 Jones County 8.4 per 100K +5.5%
63 Monroe County 8.6 per 100K +7.1%

All 72 Counties Ranked

Every county in Mississippi ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Leflore County 48.5 per 100K +505.6%
2 Washington County 46.9 per 100K +486.0%
3 Holmes County 44.3 per 100K +453.4%
4 Wilkinson County 41.6 per 100K +420.1%
5 Hinds County 40.7 per 100K +408.4%
6 Sharkey County 37.9 per 100K +374.3%
7 Sunflower County 35.9 per 100K +349.0%
8 Coahoma County 33.1 per 100K +313.3%
9 Montgomery County 30.4 per 100K +280.0%
10 Adams County 28.8 per 100K +260.4%
11 Claiborne County 28.7 per 100K +258.9%
12 Tunica County 27.8 per 100K +247.4%
13 Bolivar County 27.3 per 100K +240.8%
14 Yazoo County 27.1 per 100K +239.4%
15 Jefferson Davis County 25.6 per 100K +219.7%
16 Humphreys County 25.1 per 100K +213.1%
17 Pike County 22.4 per 100K +180.3%
18 Grenada County 22.4 per 100K +180.1%
19 Lauderdale County 22.3 per 100K +178.8%
20 Tallahatchie County 22.2 per 100K +178.0%
21 Lincoln County 20.8 per 100K +159.5%
22 Copiah County 20.3 per 100K +153.5%
23 Carroll County 20.1 per 100K +151.5%
24 Jefferson County 20.0 per 100K +150.3%
25 Chickasaw County 19.3 per 100K +140.8%
26 Leake County 19.2 per 100K +140.5%
27 Marshall County 18.8 per 100K +134.4%
28 Quitman County 18.7 per 100K +133.8%
29 Franklin County 18.5 per 100K +131.4%
30 Warren County 18.0 per 100K +125.1%
31 Noxubee County 17.8 per 100K +122.4%
32 Benton County 17.6 per 100K +120.6%
33 Covington County 17.6 per 100K +119.4%
34 Panola County 17.4 per 100K +117.2%
35 Winston County 15.1 per 100K +89.3%
36 Lawrence County 15.0 per 100K +88.0%
37 Scott County 14.8 per 100K +84.6%
38 Newton County 14.2 per 100K +77.1%
39 Wayne County 14.2 per 100K +77.1%
40 Marion County 13.9 per 100K +73.9%
41 Lowndes County 13.2 per 100K +64.5%
42 Tippah County 13.1 per 100K +63.4%
43 Forrest County 12.8 per 100K +59.6%
44 Amite County 12.7 per 100K +58.1%
45 Attala County 12.6 per 100K +57.3%
46 Tate County 12.6 per 100K +57.3%
47 Neshoba County 11.8 per 100K +47.2%
48 Lee County 11.5 per 100K +43.5%
49 Simpson County 11.3 per 100K +41.8%
50 Calhoun County 11.2 per 100K +40.4%
51 Alcorn County 11.0 per 100K +37.9%
52 Walthall County 11.0 per 100K +37.9%
53 Clarke County 11.0 per 100K +37.7%
54 Madison County 10.7 per 100K +33.4%
55 DeSoto County 10.3 per 100K +28.9%
56 Harrison County 10.1 per 100K +26.5%
57 Jackson County 9.7 per 100K +20.9%
58 Smith County 9.3 per 100K +15.7%
59 Pearl River County 9.2 per 100K +15.0%
60 Hancock County 9.1 per 100K +14.0%
61 Clay County 8.9 per 100K +11.5%
62 Jasper County 8.7 per 100K +8.9%
63 Monroe County 8.6 per 100K +7.1%
64 Jones County 8.4 per 100K +5.5%
65 Stone County 7.8 per 100K -2.0%
66 Oktibbeha County 7.1 per 100K -11.3%
67 George County 7.0 per 100K -12.3%
68 Prentiss County 6.8 per 100K -14.6%
69 Lamar County 6.1 per 100K -23.9%
70 Rankin County 5.9 per 100K -26.2%
71 Pontotoc County 5.4 per 100K -32.6%
72 Lafayette County 5.2 per 100K -35.3%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Mississippi only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Mississippi?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Mississippi is Leflore County, at 48.5 per 100,000 residents. This is 506% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Mississippi?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Mississippi is Lafayette County, at 5.2 per 100,000 residents.
How does Mississippi's crime rate compare to the national average?
64 of 72 counties in Mississippi (89%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Mississippi has the most firearm fatalities?
Leflore County has the highest firearm fatality rate in Mississippi at 70.5 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Mississippi has the most drug overdose deaths?
Pearl River County has the highest drug overdose death rate in Mississippi at 73.1 per 100,000 residents.