Best places to live in Mississippi (2026)

All 5 ranked places in Mississippi, by all-round score. 2 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Olive Branch, MSSuburb · 3-bed $274k · very safe55
2. 2Southaven, MSSuburb · 3-bed $249k · very safe53
3. 3Biloxi, MSSmall city · 3-bed $218k · moderate crime45
4. 4Gulfport, MSSmall city · 3-bed $188k · safe44
5. 5Hattiesburg, MSSmall city · 3-bed $225k · safe44

Cheapest places to live in Mississippi

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Jackson, MSSmall city · rent $1,540/mo · cost of living 89$86k
2. 2Gulfport, MSSmall city · rent $1,470/mo · cost of living 90$188k
3. 3Biloxi, MSSmall city · rent $1,470/mo · cost of living 90$218k
4. 4Hattiesburg, MSSmall city · rent $1,350/mo · cost of living 88$225k
5. 5Southaven, MSSuburb · rent $1,680/mo · cost of living 92$249k

Safest places to live in Mississippi

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Southaven, MSSuburb · violent crime 0.4× the US rate165 per 100k
2. 2Olive Branch, MSSuburb · violent crime 0.6× the US rate230 per 100k
3. 3Hattiesburg, MSSmall city · violent crime 0.6× the US rate231 per 100k
4. 4Gulfport, MSSmall city · violent crime 0.9× the US rate326 per 100k
5. 5Biloxi, MSSmall city · violent crime 1.1× the US rate407 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Mississippi

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Southaven, MS7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding64
2. 2Olive Branch, MS7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding62
3. 3Hattiesburg, MS12 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes61
4. 4Oxford, MS11 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding58
5. 5Jackson, MS13 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes57

Best places to live for families in Mississippi

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Olive Branch, MSSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $274k71
2. 2Southaven, MSSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $249k68
3. 3Hattiesburg, MSSmall city · kids below average · safety good · 3-bed $225k59
4. 4Gulfport, MSSmall city · kids poor · safety good · 3-bed $188k44
5. 5Biloxi, MSSmall city · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $218k42

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.