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If you're as old as Mississippi's name is long, you're probably about ready to retire.
And there's no better time than now to start thinking about where you're going to spend your retirement years. Well, HomeSnacks is here to help you out. We think The Magnolia State is pretty great. So great that we created a list of the best places to retire in Mississippi for 2020. We know you're all dying to know where these places are located, but first, we need to tell you how we identified the best of the best. We looked at the FBI and Census data for 22 cities with 10,000 residents. To narrow down our list even further, we looked at important factors like crime, affordability, rent, and how close a place is to an international airport.
And this is what our research uncovered. One, if you're looking to rent, you're in luck: Mississippi's rent is currently below the national average. Two, Mississippi does not tax retirement income and the state's property tax is the lowest in the country; thus, leaving you with more money for the fun things that the Hospitality State has to offer. Like, extra funds to spend on a beach vacation to Gulfport and/or a little leftover cash to take your honey out to a nice fried alligator dinner at Snappers in Biloxi.
But, whatever you do, don't do it until you take a look below at Mississippi's top ten best places to retire.
Here are the 10 best places to retire in Mississippi for 2020:
- Brandon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Brookhaven (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Laurel (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- West Point (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Vicksburg (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Madison (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Meridian (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Clinton (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Jackson (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Southaven (Photos | Homes For Sale)
Why did Brandon take the top spot? And where are Jackson and Gulfport?
Now it's not lost on us that many of Mississippi's best places to retire are also some of the best places in the state to raise a family. This is usually how it works. Whether it's for your kids or favorite retiree, safety seems to be the number one concern across the board.
So, what is Mississippi's best place to retire? That would be Brandon according to the latest reports.
To see a list of the rest of Mississippi's best places to spend your golden years, take a look below. And if you don't find what you're looking for there, head to the bottom.
For more Mississippi state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Mississippi
- Cheapest Places To Live In Mississippi
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Mississippi For 2020
/10
Population: 23,688
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Rent: $968
Distance to Closest Airport: 5 miles
More on Brandon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Brandon is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi. The population was 21,705 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Rankin County. Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area and located east of the state capital.
/10
Population: 12,226
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Rent: $646
Distance to Closest Airport: 54 miles
More on Brookhaven: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, 60 miles south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the Town of Brookhaven, New York by founder Samuel Jayne in 1818.
/10
Population: 18,607
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Rent: $638
Distance to Closest Airport: 69 miles
More on Laurel: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,548. It is located northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. Laurel has the second county courthouse, as there are two judicial districts in Jones County.
/10
Population: 10,794
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $738
Distance to Closest Airport: 109 miles
More on West Point: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 22,706
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Rent: $671
Distance to Closest Airport: 47 miles
More on Vicksburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Vicksburg is the only city and county seat of Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, the state capital. It is located on the Mississippi River across from the state of Louisiana.
As a one-time resident of Vicksburg, it was a quaint, quiet town rich in culture...and crime was present, yet I just feel you missed again.
/10
Population: 25,522
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Rent: $1,557
Distance to Closest Airport: 11 miles
More on Madison: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Madison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,841 at the 2010 census. The population is currently over 25,000. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
/10
Population: 38,602
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 3)
Median Rent: $703
Distance to Closest Airport: 80 miles
More on Meridian: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Meridian is the sixth largest city in the state of Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. Along major highways, the city is 93mi east of Jackson, Mississippi; 154mi southwest of Birmingham, Alabama; 202mi northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana; and 231mi southeast of Memphis, Tennessee.
/10
Population: 25,456
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Rent: $963
Distance to Closest Airport: 15 miles
More on Clinton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 25,216 at the 2010 United States Census.
/10
Population: 168,862
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Rent: $824
Distance to Closest Airport: 7 miles
More on Jackson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital city and largest urban center of the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is the primary seat of Hinds County, equally sharing its county power with Raymond, Mississippi. The City of Jackson also owns more than 3,000 acres comprising Jackson-Medgar Evers International Airport in Rankin County. Jackson is on the Pearl River, which drains into the Gulf of Mexico, and it is part of the Jackson Prairie region of the state. The city is named after General Andrew Jackson, who was honored for his role in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and later served as U.S. president.
I love Jackson, MS I was born and raised here. I love how you can't even walk down the streets because Jamal or Tyrone might have had a bad day and decide he wants to end your life. I also like all of the homeless harassing me for money and urinating in front of my family and I. The city government is also a haram of idiots pretending to be competent leaders who can't even maintain roads and water lines. I also love how you can't even go to a decently priced restaurant without hearing Tyrone and Shanequa having a screaming match or just screaming for fun. If you have to move here I advise a trip to a gun store. It's a great place, everyone should move here.
My favorite place is when I leave on vacation to somewhere out side of the ghetto
/10
Population: 53,274
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $1,025
Distance to Closest Airport: 6 miles
More on Southaven: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, and a principal city in the Memphis metropolitan area. The 2010 census reported a population of 48,982, making Southaven the third-largest city in Mississippi. Southaven is traversed from north to south by the I-55/I-69 freeway. The city's name derives from the fact that Southaven is located south of Whitehaven, a neighborhood in Memphis.
How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Magnolia State for 2020
To create our list of the best places in Mississippi to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Magnolia State -- 362 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. This left us with 22 places from across the state.
For these 22, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criteria from one to 22, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Brandon, with the lowest average rank was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second careers. You can download the data here.
Maybe You're Not Ready To Retire In Mississippi Yet...
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Mississippi goes to Brandon.
If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- D'Iberville
- Biloxi
- Oxford
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Mississippi?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon | 23,688 |
| 2 | Brookhaven | 12,226 |
| 3 | Laurel | 18,607 |
| 4 | West Point | 10,794 |
| 5 | Vicksburg | 22,706 |
| 6 | Madison | 25,522 |
| 7 | Meridian | 38,602 |
| 8 | Clinton | 25,456 |
| 9 | Jackson | 168,862 |
| 10 | Southaven | 53,274 |
