The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Pearl River County, MS

Pearl River County is home to 57,500 residents and includes Picayune and Poplarville · Updated November 2026

Is Pearl River County, MS safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Pearl River County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 86% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Pearl River County run from A+ to B-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 952 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

86% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Pearl River County as a whole, and 14% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pearl River County scores 952.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 959 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 938 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Pearl River County

Map of Pearl River County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Pearl River County, MS at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Pearl River County, 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 Pearl River County

Aggravated assaults and car thefts both run low. In Pearl River County, each runs at less than half the US rate: 0.85 aggravated assaults and 1.0 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 2.7 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Pearl River County

Every part of Pearl River County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Pearl River County run from A+ to B-; 85% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Savannah1,190A+990
  2. 2Carriere16,900A+975

Most crime

  1. 1Picayune24,800A900
  2. 2Poplarville10,100A+970

Cities and towns in Pearl River County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the east side has the least crime and the Picayune area the most.


Crime rates and types in Pearl River County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Pearl River County has about 20 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 46% less than the US as a whole and 36% less than 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.

The largest share of crime reported in Pearl River County is assault, about 36% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.010.05
RapeA+130.220.38
RobberyA+10.020.62
AssaultA4207.312.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+661.12.4
TheftA3916.813.1
Vehicle theftA+581.02.7
ArsonA+80.130.12
VandalismA+1993.55.5

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 Pearl River County compares with nearby counties

Pearl River County has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest counties; only Walthall County and Marion County have less.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Pearl River CountyA+952A+A+57,500
Hancock County 23 milesA923A+A46,200
Washington Parish, LA 26 milesA878AA45,100
St. Tammany Parish, LA 26 milesA+929A+A+272,400
Terrebonne Parish, LA 97 milesB642B-A-106,200
Show all 11
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Stone County 32 milesA923AA18,900
Harrison County 37 milesA-804A-A-210,900
Marion County 43 milesA+959A+A+24,200
Lamar County 45 milesA+929A+A65,700
Walthall County 46 milesA+964A+A+13,800
Tangipahoa Parish, LA 49 milesA-786B+A-136,700
Forrest County 50 milesA-838A-A78,300

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Pearl River County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Pearl River County is safer than 75% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Pearl River CountyA+952A+A+57,500
Chisago County, MNA+967A+A+58,000
Windsor County, VTA+964A+A+58,000
Hardin County, TXA+958A+A+57,600
Putnam County, WVA+949A+A+57,200
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Vermilion Parish, LAA+944A+A+57,100
Hawkins County, TNA+939A+A+58,000
Genesee County, NYA+929A+A+57,800
Lowndes County, MSA918A+A57,800
Camden County, GAA916AA+57,000
Acadia Parish, LAA892AA57,000

Jobs, density and walkability in Pearl River County

Two things set Pearl River County apart: it has 19 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, and theft runs low here.

JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.19 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of Americans
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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of Americans
Show all 6
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.23% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 96% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.12.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 92% of Americans
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 Pearl River County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Pearl River County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Pearl River County

Crime costs Pearl River County about $525 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 56% 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 $30 million a year, or $522 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.4 million$25
Rape$760,000$13
Robbery$36,000$1
Assault$4.1 million$71
Burglary$590,000$10
Theft$2.0 million$35
Vehicle theft$890,000$16
Arson$180,000$3
Vandalism$1.4 million$25
Total$11 million$198

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 Pearl River County 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.

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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Pearl River County

Schools in Pearl River County, MS average a SchoolGrade of B: 56% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Pearl River County on SchoolGrade