Mississippi cities

The best places to live in Mississippi

Mississippi's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Brandon leads the list.

We scored Mississippi's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#	City	Median home	Rent	Value	Overall
3	Clinton	$183,800	$1,062	66	79
4	Olive Branch	$204,800	$1,325	86	77
9	Biloxi	$168,600	$940	39	58
11	Jackson	$92,900	$905	65	51
13	Southaven	$169,800	$1,104	63	49
14	Greenville	$81,000	$751	53	49
18	Gulfport	$138,200	$927	28	41
21	Tupelo	$158,800	$825	44	35
22	Meridian	$92,100	$748	33	34
23	Hattiesburg	$131,300	$862	17	28

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Mississippi. Updated 2026.