Jackson homicides drop 32% in 2025, marking fourth consecutive year of decline

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The capital city ended 2025 with 75 homicides, a 32% decrease from the 111 killings recorded in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of declining homicide numbers.

The 2025 total represents the lowest number of killings since 2017, according to WLBT, which has monitored Jackson killings since 2016. During that period, more than a thousand victims have been recorded.

The decline continues a trend that began after 2021, when Jackson experienced its deadliest year on record with 160 killings.

Since that year, Jackson’s homicide rate per capita has ranked highest in the nation, beating out every other major city and similarly sized city, according to a 3 On Your Side analysis.

Jackson’s final 2025 ranking will be available next week when other cities report their year-end numbers.

Multiple agencies investigate Jackson homicides

The 75 homicides last year were investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies. The Jackson Police Department worked 63 homicides, while Capitol Police investigated 11 killings. The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office served as the lead agency for one killing.

All incidents took place within Jackson city limits, regardless of which agency investigated them.

Geographic and demographic breakdown

One-third of the 2025 killings occurred in south Jackson, according to the data. The average age of homicide victims was 31, with one in four victims in their twenties.

More than half of the killings do not list the victim’s ethnicity or race because JPD never provided the information when notifying the public in those particular cases. Twenty-five of the victims were Black, and three were white, according to individual case information from the department.

Clearance rates exceed national average

JPD solved 73% of the killings that took place in 2025, a rate higher than the national average, according to data the department provided over the years.

The WLBT Homicide Tracker now displays those clearance rates for the past ten years and shows homicide numbers by ward, indicating whether those political boundaries are becoming safer or more dangerous over time.

The tracker also allows users to search data from any year since 2016.

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