Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011)

This article, the thirty-third in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Mississippi based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.

Among the twenty best places to live in Mississippi, nine comprise the capital of Jackson and its suburbs and exurbs, four are county seats, three are suburbs of Gulfport, two are suburbs of Memphis, one is a suburb of Tupelo, and one is a renowned university town. By county, four of the best places to live in Mississippi are located in or partially in Rankin County, three in Harrison County, three in or partially in Hinds and Madison Counties respectively, two in DeSoto County, two in Lee County, and one each in Bolivar, Copiah, Jackson, Lafayette, and Newton counties.

After reading "Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Mississippi (2011)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2011)."

1. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Madison, MS (Madison County)

Population: 21,401

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $110,035
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 60.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.11

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 13 miles SSW
Gulfport, MS: 171 miles SSE

2. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Clinton, MS (Hinds County)

Population: 26,282

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $63,257
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.76*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 10 miles SE
Gulfport, MS: 166 miles SSE

3. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Brandon, MS (Rankin County)

Population: 21,545

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $70,571
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.43

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 14 miles WNW
Gulfport, MS: 151 miles SSE

4. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Ridgeland, MS (Madison County)

Population: 21,551

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,359
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.88

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 10 miles SSW
Gulfport, MS: 167 miles SSE

5. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Florence, MS (Rankin County)

Population: 3,434

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $72,929
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.43

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 13 miles NNW
Gulfport, MS: 146 miles SSE

6. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Raymond, MS (Hinds County)

Population: 2,247

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,213
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.76*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 17 miles ENE
Gulfport, MS: 171 miles SSE

7. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Flowood, MS (Rankin County)

Population: 6,900

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $58,935
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 54.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 18.66

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 5 miles WSW
Gulfport, MS: 157 miles SSE

8. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Hernando, MS (DeSoto County)

Population: 11,783

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,281
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 7.05

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 185 miles S
Memphis, MS: 24 miles N

9. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Oxford, MS (Lafayette County)

Population: 16,706

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $39,942
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 53.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.59

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 161 miles SSW
Memphis, MS: 79 miles NNW

10. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Ocean Springs, MS (Jackson County)

Population: 17,283

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,154
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 15.93

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 171 miles NW
Gulfport, MS: 17 miles WSW

11. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Olive Branch, MS (DeSoto County)

Population: 30,476

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $74,528
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 25.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 9.1

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 202 miles S
Memphis, TN: 20 miles NW

12. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Wesson, MS (Copiah County)

Population: 2,504

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,204
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.3

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 46 miles NNE
Gulfport, MS: 163 miles SE

13. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Saltillo, MS (Lee County)

Population: 4,071

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,034
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.0*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 205 miles SSW
Tupelo, MS: 10 miles S

14. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Pass Christian, MS (Harrison County)

Population: 4,439

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $55,214
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 10.87

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 171 miles NNW
Gulfport, MS: 10 miles NE

15. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Decatur, MS (Newton County)

Population: 2,444

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $42,268
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.08*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 73 miles W
Meridian, MS: 30 miles WSW

16. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Long Beach, MS (Harrison County)

Population: 12,949

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $61,442
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 22.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.3

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 165 miles NNW
Gulfport, MS: 4 miles NE

17. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Tupelo, MS (Lee County)

Population: 35,824

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $45,951
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 29.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 12.62

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 195 miles SSW
Oxford, MS: 50 miles WNW

18. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Cleveland, MS (Bolivar County)

Population: 12,232

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $36,144
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 13.85

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 123 miles SSE

19. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Biloxi, MS (Harrison County)

Population: 46,901

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $49,909
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 23.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 25.6

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Jackson, MS: 167 miles NNW
Gulfport, MS: 13 miles WSW

20. Best Places to Live in Mississippi (2011) - Jackson, MS (Hinds, Madison, Rankin Counties)

Population: 176,799

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $39,233
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 35.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Gulfport, MS: 161 miles SSE
Oxford, MS: 161 miles NNE

*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.

The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.

More Articles from J.C. Grant

"Average ACT Scores by State (2010)"
"Average SAT Scores by State (2010)"
"Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size (2011)"
"Most_Dangerous_Cities_in_America - Murder Rates"
"State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School"
"State Education Rankings: SAT Scores"

Source(s):

"All Cities in Mississippi," City-Data.com
"2009 ACS 1-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation