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

Crime per Capita in DeSoto County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for DeSoto 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.

 

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

A+

Overall Crime Grade™

A+
A+
Other Crime Grade
A+

$35.0 million

Cost of Crime™ for DeSoto County, MS

In 2025, crime will cost $504 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of DeSoto 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 DeSoto County, MS Safe?

The A+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where DeSoto County's combined rate is much lower than the norm. DeSoto County sits in the 99th percentile, ahead of 99% of counties and behind 1%. The grade covers only DeSoto County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in DeSoto County is 11.69 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 59 in the north areas to 1 in 160 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of DeSoto County, MS report the most crime, about 392 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 82 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in DeSoto County, MS

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in DeSoto County for 2025 is $35,004,547, about $182 per resident and $504 per household. That equals 0.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 55.3%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 32.6%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.1%

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

DeSoto County, MS: $182
Hinds County, MS: $439
Rankin County, MS: $187
Mississippi: $270
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in DeSoto County is $182 per year, which is $282 less than the national average and $87 less than Mississippi's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to DeSoto County:
  • In Hinds County, MS, crime costs $439 per person, which is $257 more than in DeSoto County.
  • In Rankin County, MS, crime costs $187 per person, which is $5 more than in DeSoto County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of DeSoto County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to DeSoto County
Cost per DeSoto County Resident
Murder
$11.9 million
$62
Rape/Sexual Assault
$4.09 million
$21
Robbery
$494,824
$3
Assault
$3.35 million
$17
Kidnapping
$443,501
$2
Vehicle Theft
$2.18 million
$11
Burglary
$1.92 million
$10
Theft
$4.18 million
$22
Arson
$184,293
$1
Vandalism
$2.06 million
$11
Animal Cruelty
$47,063
$0
Drug Crimes
$4.04 million
$21
Identity Theft
$159,049
$1
Total Cost of Crime
$35,004,547
$182

The Intangible Cost of Crime in DeSoto 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 DeSoto County totals $99,056,816 ($516 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $134,061,363 ($699 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 north 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 DeSoto County has 13, do the same, and of DeSoto County's 191,878 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 DeSoto County, MS at ISP Reports.

DeSoto 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 DeSoto County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
0.6071
Robbery
0.0820
Rape
0.3512
Murder
0.0329
Total Violent Crime
1.073 (A+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
4.209
Vehicle Theft
0.7354
Burglary
1.106
Arson
0.0398
Total Property Crime
6.090 (A+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0381
Drug Crimes
2.848
Vandalism
1.502
Identity Theft
0.1071
Animal Cruelty
0.0332
Total "Other" Rate
4.528 (A+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

DeSoto 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
B-
B-
B-
C
C
A+
A+
A+
D+
B+
B+
A+
A+
A+
B
C+
C+
A+
A+
A+
D
D-
D-
A+
A+
A+
B
B-
B-

Considering only the crime rate, DeSoto County is safer 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 DeSoto County, MS average SchoolGrade of B, with 47% actual proficiency versus 44% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See DeSoto 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 3 hours 54 minutes in DeSoto County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in DeSoto 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.