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Can you afford to live in Mississippi? Here’s what you should earn as a livable wage

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Can you afford to live in Mississippi? Here’s what you should earn as a livable wage


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JACKSON, Miss. — Living paycheck to paycheck? If it feels like you’re working all the time and just can’t make ends meet, you’re not alone. And it might not just be about budgeting better. The living wage across Mississippi is higher than federal minimum wage, meaning most people need to make a lot more than the lowest pay tier to get groceries and pay bills without help. See how your paycheck compares and how much pay you’d need to bring home to live comfortably in your community.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator determined what a person in a household would have to earn to support themselves or their family and stay self-sufficient if working full time for 2,080 hours per year. The federal poverty line is still based on three times the minimum food budget in 1963, and MIT created the poverty wage using 2024 data from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines.

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An adult in Mississippi with no kids needs to make $19.89 per hour to be self-sufficient. The poverty wage is $7.24 for an adult in Mississippi with no kids. It’s one cent below the federal minimum of $7.25. Required income to cover costs including housing, food, transportation, and phone/internet service is about $41,361 before taxes and $35,287 after.

If a single adult has three children, the living wage is about $47.50 per hour. The poverty wage is $15 per hour. Required income to cover costs is $98,795 before taxes and $87,360 after.

Two adults in a household with one working needs $27.52 per hour to live without assistance. The poverty wage is $9.83. Required income to cover costs is $57,258 before taxes.

A family that has two adults with one working parent and three kids needs a living wage of $39.72, and the poverty wage is $17.59 per hour. Required income before taxes is $82,620.

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In a four-person family with two children and two working parents, the living wage is $21.37 per hour, and the poverty wage is $7.50. They need at least $88,895 a year before taxes.

Learn more below about living wages in Mississippi metro areas and how many people in the state live in poverty.

What is the minimum wage in Mississippi?

Mississippi’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for covered nonexempt workers. The magnolia state is among many without their own rate. Instead, that’s set by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

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The last minimum wage raise in the United States was in 2009.

How many people in Mississippi live in poverty?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 18% of Mississippi residents live in poverty.

The median household income in the state is $54,915, and average income per person is $30,529.

What’s a living wage in Jackson?

In the Jackson metro area, the living wage per hour necessary for one adult with no kids is $21.02 while those with one child is $32.93, two children is $39.48 and three children is $49.76. Average expenses are $41,361 for an adult with no kids, $65,515 with one kid, $78,075 with two kids and $98,795 with three kids.

The wage for two adults (one working) with no children is $28.57, those with one kid is $34.51, two kids is $39.02 and three kids is $40.68. Averages expenses are $57,258 for two adults with no kids, $69,413 with one, $78,613 with two and $82,620 with three.

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The wage for two adults (both working) with no children is $14.21 while those with one is $18.66, two is $22.39, and three is $24.78. Average expenses are $56,960 with no kids, $74,404 with one kid $88,895, with two kids and $98,626 with three kids.

What’s a living wage in Hattiesburg?

In the Hattiesburg metro area, the living wage per hour necessary for one adult with no kids is $19.29 while those with one child is $31.98 two children is $38.29 and three children is $48.69. Average expenses are $40,122 for an adult with no kids, $66,516 with one kid, $79,649 with two kids and $101,284 with three kids.

The wage for two adults (one working) with no children is $27.59, those with one kid is $33.59, two kids is $38.02 and three kids is $40.03. Averages expenses are $57,387 for two adults with no kids, $69,869 with one, $79,083 with two and $83,261 with three.

The wage for two adults (both working) with no children is $13.72 while those with one is $18.13, two is $21.75, and three is $24.26. Average expenses are $57,089 with no kids, $75,423 with one kid $90,489, with two kids and $100,938 with three kids.

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What’s a living wage in Gulfport-Biloxi?

In the Gulfport-Biloxi metro area, the living wage per hour necessary for one adult with no kids is $19.68 while those with one child is $32.24, two children is $38.44 and three children is $49.23. Average expenses are $40,937 for an adult with no kids, $67,052 with one kid, $79,951with two kids and $102,405 with three kids.

The wage for two adults (one working) with no children is $27.86, those with one kid is $33.94, two kids is $38.37 and three kids is$40.87. Averages expenses are $57,948 for two adults with no kids, $70,592 with one, $79,804 with two and $85,006 with three.

The wage for two adults (both working) with no children is $13.86 while those with one is $18.26, two is $21.83 and three is $24.54. Average expenses are $57,650 with no kids, $75,941 with one kid $90,801, with two kids and $102,083 with three kids.



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Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi

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Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi


Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.

According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

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Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.

A Harrison County roadway is flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Photo by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via SuperTalk Mississippi News)

50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.

Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.

15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.

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A sinkhole caused by flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur is seen in Covington County on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Covington County Emergency Management Agency)

Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.



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Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released

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Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released


(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.

The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.

Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.

This undated photo provided by Veronica Roberson in June 2026 shows her grandson, Kohen Wiley, of Senatobia, Miss.(Veronica Roberson | Veronica Roberson via AP)

“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.

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The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.

Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.

“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.

“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”

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The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.

State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.

“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.

Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.

Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.

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“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”

Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.

While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.

Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members

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Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members


Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.

Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.

Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.

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