The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Columbia, MS
Columbia is a city of 13,200 in Marion County, about 30 miles west of downtown Hattiesburg · Updated November 2026
Is Columbia, MS safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Columbia: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 80% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 937 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
80% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Columbia as a whole, and 20% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Columbia scores 937.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Columbia, MS at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Columbia, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Columbia
One weak spot: aggravated assault. It grades A- in Columbia, worse than in the neighborhoods where 53% of Americans live, against A+ for violent crime as a whole.
The safest and least safe parts of Columbia
Every part of Columbia where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Columbia run from A+ to A-; 97% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Columbia, the northeast side has the least crime and the west side the most.
Crime rates and types in Columbia
CrimeGrade™ estimates Columbia has about 27 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 28% less than the US as a whole and close to Mississippi.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft is the most common crime in Columbia, about 32% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Columbia compares with nearby cities
Columbia has the most crime of its 4 nearest cities.
Two things set Columbia apart: it has 16.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 17.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, yet burglary and vandalism run lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.16.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.17.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 94% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (8 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 83% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 93% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.45% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 89% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Columbia: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Columbia
Crime costs Columbia about $733 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 39% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $11 million a year, or $828 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$150,000
$11
Rape
$200,000
$15
Robbery
$150,000
$11
Assault
$1.6 million
$125
Burglary
$340,000
$25
Theft
$590,000
$44
Vehicle theft
$210,000
$16
Arson
$75,000
$6
Vandalism
$460,000
$35
Total
$3.8 million
$289
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Columbia means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Columbia is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Columbia, MS average a SchoolGrade of A-: 62% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Columbia on SchoolGrade
