Clay County Crime & Safety

Clay County has a total crime rate of 2183.0 per 100,000 residents, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. This includes both violent crimes (559.2 per 100K) and property crimes (1623.8 per 100K).

Clay County has a safety score of 18/100, rated "High Crime". A higher safety score indicates lower crime rates relative to other counties nationwide. It ranks #71 out of 82 counties in Mississippi for safety (1 = safest).

The county's safety score of 96.6 is below the Mississippi average of 98.4. Local data from three agencies suggests more active crime challenges than in other parts of the state.

Violent crime in Clay County is 559.2, which is higher than the national 369.8. Property crime is the largest factor, reaching 1,623.8 per 100K residents.

Crime data for Clay County comes from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Local law enforcement agencies submit data on violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) to the FBI. Rates are calculated per 100,000 residents to allow fair comparison between counties of different sizes. The safety score (0-100) is derived from these rates, with higher scores indicating safer counties.

Clay County has a safety score of 18/100, which is below the Mississippi average of 63/100. Many counties with above-average crime rates invest in community policing, crime prevention programs, neighborhood watch initiatives, and social services aimed at reducing crime over time.