Pontotoc County Crime & Safety

Pontotoc County has a total crime rate of 1560.8 per 100,000 residents, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. This includes both violent crimes (278.8 per 100K) and property crimes (1282.0 per 100K).

Pontotoc County has a safety score of 33/100, rated "High Crime". A higher safety score indicates lower crime rates relative to other counties nationwide. It ranks #65 out of 82 counties in Mississippi for safety (1 = safest).

The county's safety score of 97.5 falls slightly below the Mississippi state average of 98.4. While Pontotoc is generally safe, it experiences more reported activity than its average state counterparts.

Property crimes make up the majority of local incidents at 1282.0 per 100,000 residents. Violent crime remains a smaller fraction at 278.8, which is lower than the national average of 369.8.

Crime data for Pontotoc 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.

Pontotoc County has a safety score of 33/100, 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.