Mississippi
State Government
Governor
Tate Reeves (R)
State Senate
16
Democrats,
36
Republicans
State House
41
Democrats,
79
Republicans
Economic well-being - Mississippi
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.2
Minimum wage
7.3
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.4
Poverty rate
17.8%
Unemployment rate
3.9
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
9.7
Housing - Mississippi
Home foreclosure rate
1 in 14331
People experiencing homelessness
1,041.0
Households paying more than 50% of income on housing
89,700.0
Percent renters
0.3
Poverty by demographic - Mississippi
Child poverty rate
0.3
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
N/A
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
167000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
N/A
Senior poverty rate
15.8 %
Women in poverty
1,484,482
GulfLive, December 28, 2014: (Op-Ed) State's educational attainment inexorably linked to poverty, unemployment
"So how did the 24/7 Wall St. writers assess the Magnolia State? 'Nearly one in four Mississippi residents lived in poverty last year, by far the highest rate in the nation. More than 35 percent of people without a high school diploma in the state lived in poverty, also the highest rate compared to all other states.'"
Hattiesburg American, December 1, 2014: Hunger among the elderly
"Feeding America, a nonprofit organization that runs a network of food banks that help feed more than 37 million people each year, estimates 7 million of that number are elderly residents. Thirty-three percent of Feeding America's client households have at least one member who is age 60 or over, and an estimated 76 percent or 3.9 million households are food insecure. Although exact statistics for elderly residents in Mississippi have not been released, the problem is very real in the Magnolia State."
The Clarion-Ledger, October 18, 2012: Jackson school top achiever despite 95 percent poverty rate
"George Elementary in Jackson is one of the state's top achieving schools despite also having a poverty rate of 95 percent. Now, the school is being awarded for that success. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy announced today its list of Exceed Schools, a ranking of the state's 20 highest scoring schools with poverty rates higher than 90 percent."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 14, 2012: Ratings rise at start of new Miss. school grades
"A district where large shares of students are poor or black has a strong probability of performing poorly in the ratings, according to a mathematical analysis by The Associated Press. The average district with an F rating in 2012 had a student body that was 93 percent black, with 91 percent from impoverished homes. Statewide, half of public school students are black and 62 percent are impoverished."
The Biloxi Sun-Herald, July 17, 2012: Firefighters to distribute 400 smoke detectors
"The smoke detectors and alarms are installed at no cost to city residents. The primary recipients are to be senior citizens, low-income households, physically impaired and household with children 14 years of age and younger."
The Washington Post, May 14, 2012: (Op-Ed) Journey for racial justice is not over
"Outside the schools, their community is one where child poverty topped 50 percent in 2000, according to census and state health data; that is four times the national rate for white children. Here, third-grade test scores are used to project future prison capacity when prison contractors lobby the state for funds."