Average Salary in Mississippi (MS)

Mississippi has the lowest median household income of any US state at $52,985 and the lowest cost-of-living index at 84, which partially — though not fully — offsets the wage gap in purchasing-power terms. The state has struggled with population loss, outmigration of college graduates, and persistent underinvestment in public infrastructure for most of the past two decades. The economy is weighted toward agriculture (cotton, soybeans, poultry, catfish — Mississippi produces more farm-raised catfish than any other state), manufacturing (Nissan's Canton plant and Toyota's Blue Springs plant are anchor employers), and healthcare (the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is the largest single employer in the state). The Gulf Coast has a separate economy driven by casinos, shipbuilding at Ingalls in Pascagoula (one of the largest defence-shipbuilders in the US), and tourism. State income tax is a flat 5% above an exemption threshold, and is scheduled to step down toward 4% and ultimately zero under recent legislation, though the pace depends on revenue triggers. The $7.25/hour minimum wage remains at the federal floor, with no state minimum wage law on the books. Full data follows.