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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.