Average Salary in Mississippi
What workers in Mississippi earn: mean and median wages, monthly and hourly pay, the full wage distribution, household income and cost-of-living context. Wage data: BLS OEWS May 2025.
- Mean annual wage$50,810Rank #51 of 51 · US $69,770
- Median annual wage$40,120Rank #51 of 51 · US $50,980
- Mean hourly wage$24.43Median $19.29/hour
- Median monthly pay$3,343Mean $4,234/month
- Median household income$59,127ACS 2024 · rank #51
- Price level (RPP)87.0US = 100 · BEA 2024
What is the average salary in Mississippi?
The average (mean) annual wage across all occupations in Mississippi is $50,810, and the median annual wage is $40,120, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 OEWS estimates. The mean is 27.2% below the national mean of $69,770; the median is 21.3% below the national median of $50,980. Mississippi ranks #51 of the 50 states and DC for mean wage and #51 for median wage.
The mean is $10,690 (27%) higher than the median. That gap is normal: a minority of very high earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical worker in Mississippi earns. Why mean and median differ →
The estimates cover 1,163,030 wage and salary jobs in Mississippi (self-employed workers are not included).
Monthly, weekly and hourly pay in Mississippi
Gross pay before taxes. Monthly = annual ÷ 12, bi-weekly = annual ÷ 26, weekly = annual ÷ 52. Hourly figures are published by BLS.
| Pay period | Mean (average) | Median (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | $50,810 | $40,120 |
| Monthly | $4,234 | $3,343 |
| Bi-weekly paycheck | $1,954 | $1,543 |
| Weekly | $977 | $772 |
| Hourly | $24.43 | $19.29 |
Estimate take-home pay on the Mississippi median wage (2026 tax year) →
What is a good salary in Mississippi?
“Good” depends on your household and where in the state you live, but the wage distribution shows where a salary stands relative to other workers in Mississippi:
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $22,970 | $1,914 | 90% of workers earn more |
| 25th | $29,760 | $2,480 | 75% earn more |
| 50th (median) | $40,120 | $3,343 | half earn more, half less |
| 75th | $60,180 | $5,015 | top 25% earn more than this |
| 90th | $84,500 | $7,042 | top 10% earn more than this |
In practice, a salary above $40,120 beats more than half of Mississippi workers, about $60,180 puts you in the top quarter, and $84,500 or more puts you in the top 10%. These are individual wages, not household income. Compare percentiles across states →
Household income and earnings in Mississippi
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Mississippi | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,127 | $81,604 |
| Median family income | $76,879 | $101,265 |
| Per-capita income | $32,749 | $45,256 |
| Median earnings, all workers with earnings | $39,108 | $46,949 |
| Median earnings, men working full-time year-round | $53,553 | $66,965 |
| Median earnings, women working full-time year-round | $43,639 | $55,678 |
Household income adds up the income of everyone in a household — often two earners, plus Social Security, investment and self-employment income — so it is higher than any per-worker wage figure. Women working full-time year-round in Mississippi have median earnings equal to 81% of men’s. Household income in every state →
Salary vs. cost of living in Mississippi
Prices in Mississippi are about 13.0% below the national average (BEA regional price parity 87.0; housing 56.5). Adjusted for that, the median wage of $40,120 is worth $46,115 at national-average prices (rank #51), and the mean wage is worth $58,402 (rank #51). Cost-of-living adjusted ranking →
Mississippi taxes wage income, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures above by federal tax, FICA and state income tax.
Mississippi vs. neighboring states
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | RPP | Adjusted median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | $50,810 | $40,120 | 87.0 | $46,115 |
| Alabama | $57,500 | $45,670 | 88.8 | $51,430 |
| Arkansas | $54,890 | $43,630 | 86.9 | $50,207 |
| Louisiana | $56,600 | $45,520 | 88.2 | $51,610 |
| Tennessee | $60,800 | $47,380 | 91.9 | $51,556 |
Highest-paying occupations in Mississippi
Detailed occupations with at least 300 jobs in the state, ranked by mean annual wage. “$239,200+” means BLS reports only that the wage is at or above that level.
| Occupation | Mean wage | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $300,550 | $252,960 | 450 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $275,760 | $325,610 | 390 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $265,510 | $235,630 | 570 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $217,470 | $198,410 | 480 |
| Chief Executives | $173,720 | $139,250 | 310 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $166,400 | $137,220 | 1,890 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $151,890 | $143,580 | 360 |
| Dentists, General | $149,300 | $143,660 | 740 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,070 | $142,790 | 860 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $131,880 | $124,280 | 1,710 |
Most common jobs in Mississippi and what they pay
| Occupation | Employment | Median wage | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 38,400 | $28,640 | $13.77 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 31,220 | $22,610 | $10.87 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 30,750 | $36,400 | $17.50 |
| Cashiers | 30,490 | $26,390 | $12.69 |
| Registered Nurses | 29,060 | $77,090 | $37.06 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 24,160 | $51,820 | $24.92 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 23,420 | $34,270 | $16.47 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 21,800 | $23,860 | $11.47 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 20,860 | $36,380 | $17.49 |
| Office Clerks, General | 17,600 | $34,900 | $16.78 |
The largest occupation in Mississippi is retail salespersons, with 38,400 jobs and a median wage of $28,640. Many of the most common jobs pay well below the state median, which is one reason the overall median sits far below the mean.
Salaries for 54 common occupations in Mississippi
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary in Mississippi?
The average (mean) annual wage in Mississippi is $50,810, or $24.43 per hour, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The median wage — what a typical worker earns — is $40,120 a year ($19.29 per hour).
What is the average monthly salary in Mississippi?
Dividing the annual figures by 12, the mean wage in Mississippi works out to about $4,234 per month and the median wage to about $3,343 per month, before taxes.
What is considered a good salary in Mississippi?
Earning more than the median of $40,120 puts you above half of all workers in Mississippi. A salary of $60,180 or more is in the top 25%, and $84,500 or more is in the top 10% of wage earners in the state.
What is the median household income in Mississippi?
Median household income in Mississippi was $59,127 in the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, compared with $81,604 nationally. Household income combines all earners and income sources in a home.
Does Mississippi have a state income tax on wages?
Yes. Mississippi taxes wage income, so state income tax is deducted from paychecks in addition to federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.