The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Clay County, MS: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Clay County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Clay County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Clay County, MS Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

B+

Overall Crime Grade™

A+
B-
Other Crime Grade
B+

$6.03 million

Cost of Crime™ for Clay County, MS

In 2025, crime will cost $802 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Clay County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Clay County, MS Safe?

The B+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Clay County's combined rate is lower than the norm. Clay County sits in the 74th percentile, ahead of 74% of counties and behind 26%. The grade covers only Clay County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Clay County is 22.82 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 28 in the central areas to 1 in 75 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Clay County, MS report the most crime, about 147 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 8 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Clay County, MS

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Clay County for 2025 is $6,033,375, about $335 per resident and $802 per household. That equals 1.3% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.1%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 34.6%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.2%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Clay County Compared to Other Counties?

Clay County, MS: $335
Hinds County, MS: $439
DeSoto County, MS: $182
Mississippi: $270
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Clay County is $335 per year, which is $129 less than the national average and $66 more than Mississippi's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Clay County:
  • In Hinds County, MS, crime costs $439 per person, which is $104 more than in Clay County.
  • In DeSoto County, MS, crime costs $182 per person, which is $153 less than in Clay County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Clay County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Clay County
Cost per Clay County Resident
Murder
$2.23 million
$124
Rape/Sexual Assault
$393,929
$22
Robbery
$79,157
$4
Assault
$515,629
$29
Kidnapping
$62,858
$3
Vehicle Theft
$475,987
$26
Burglary
$366,305
$20
Theft
$913,942
$51
Arson
$26,523
$1
Vandalism
$425,700
$24
Animal Cruelty
$12,384
$1
Drug Crimes
$518,820
$29
Identity Theft
$11,499
$1
Total Cost of Crime
$6,033,375
$335

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Clay County, MS

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Clay County totals $16,803,983 ($934 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $22,837,358 ($1,269 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The central part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Clay County has 1, do the same, and of Clay County's 17,998 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Clay County, MS at ISP Reports.

Clay County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Clay County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
0.9976
Robbery
0.1398
Rape
0.3610
Murder
0.0659
Total Violent Crime
1.564 (A+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
9.805
Vehicle Theft
1.708
Burglary
2.244
Arson
0.0610
Total Property Crime
13.82 (B-)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0576
Drug Crimes
3.897
Vandalism
3.311
Identity Theft
0.0825
Animal Cruelty
0.0930
Total "Other" Rate
7.441 (B+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Clay County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Clay County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
A+
A+
A+
A
A+
A
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
C-
C+
C+
C-
B
D+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
A+
C+
D+
B-

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Clay County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C
D+
D+
B
A-
A-
B
B-
B-
D
D
D
D+
A-
A-
F
D
D
B-
B-
B-
C
C-
C-
F
F
F
B-
B+
B+

Considering only the crime rate, Clay County is less safe than the Mississippi state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Clay County, MS average SchoolGrade of D+, with 30% actual proficiency versus 31% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Clay County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 21 hours 19 minutes in Clay County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Clay County, MS

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.