Mississippi
Mississippi ‘upper-middle class’ salary requirements
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How much does it take to be upper-middle class in Mississippi? Less than anywhere else in the country, according to a new analysis. Yet the typical household still earns tens of thousands of dollars less than that benchmark.
An analysis from Visual Capitalist, using data from the U.S. Census, found how much money was required in each state to be considered upper-middle class in 2026. States in the South needed a much lower income to be upper-middle class compared to the rest of the country.
Recent research from the center-right American Enterprise Institute shows that since 1979, the share of Americans in the “core” middle class has declined substantially. That’s because many moved up the income ladder.
The upper-middle class has tripled, growing from about 10% of families in 1979 to over 31% today, defined as households earning $133,000 to $400,000 in 2024 dollars. However, rising housing costs and inflation mean that even six-figure incomes may not provide the same financial comfort as before.
What’s upper-middle class in Mississippi?
In Mississippi, the income needed to be considered upper-middle class is $91,975. It’s the lowest pay needed to qualify in the nation.
Mississippi is one of the most affordable states for housing and cost of living, but that’s tied to having some of the lowest wages in the nation.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in the state is $56,477, and average income per person is $31,549. About 17.8% of the state’s population lives in poverty.
MoneyLion did the math for what a couple with two kids needs to cover necessities in Mississippi. A family of four needs $45,424 after taxes, according to the analysis. That breaks down to about $25.35 per hour.
Average hourly earnings in Mississippi were $29.15 in June 2026. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average workweek was 35.3 hours. Weekly pay averaged $1,029 per week, or about $53,508 for a full year.
The Magnolia State had the lowest hourly pay in the country, per the BLS, trailing Arkansas’ $29.43. It also ranked among the top 10 longest workweeks in the nation.
States with the lowest income needed to be upper-middle class
According to Visual Capitalist, these states require the lowest incomes in the U.S. to be considered upper-middle class:
- Mississippi: $91,975
- West Virginia: $94,575
- Louisiana: $94,867
- Arkansas: $96,609
- Kentucky: $100,374
- Oklahoma: $102,897
- Alabama: $103,692
- New Mexico: $105,492
- Missouri: $111,361
- Indiana: $111,936
States with the highest income needed to be upper-middle class
These states require the highest income in the U.S. to be considered upper-middle class, according to Visual Capitalist:
- Massachusetts: $163,066
- New Jersey: $162,235
- Maryland: $160,074
- Hawaii: $156,714
- California: $155,787
- New Hampshire: $155,216
- Washington: $154,605
- Colorado: $151,065
- Utah: $150,357
- Connecticut: $149,410
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.
Here’s where and how to submit deer deer heads for chronic wasting disease testing in Mississippi in 2026-27.
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The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks continues to make efforts to manage chronic wasting disease in Mississippi’s deer herd. The department is asking hunters to help with the effort by submitting samples from deer for testing for the disease during the 2026-2027 deer hunting season.
Since the disease was first detected in Mississippi in 2018, there have been 581 cases documented in the state as of Sept. 11, 2026, out of 68,524 deer tested.
According to MDWFP, knowing where the disease is in the state allows the department to put special regulations in place to help slow the spread of the disease, which is always fatal in deer. Also, hunters should know if their deer is infected because while there have been no documented cases of CWD in humans, the CDC warns people against eating the meat of an infected deer.
The department has placed freezers at 60 locations throughout the state where hunters can leave deer heads for testing. Antlers may be removed before dropping off the heads and hunters should leave at least 6 inches of neck attached. Hunters are also asked to keep deer heads cold or frozen before submitting them.
Here are the addresses and GPS coordinates for MS CWD testing drop-off sites near you
- Love VFD7345 US 51 SouthHernando, MS 3863234.7526, -89.9913
- Mt. Pleasant VFD194 Mt. Pleasant RoadRed Banks, MS 3866134.9561, -89.5226
- Wall Doxey State Park3946 MS 7Holly Springs, MS 3863534.6630, -89.4647
- Benton County 911 Dispatch368 Ripley AvenueAshland, MS 3860334.8326, -89.1813
- Walnut VFD660 Main StreetWalnut, MS 3868334.9405, -88.9013
- MSU Extension Office2200 Old Hwy 45 SouthCorinth, MS 3883434.9125, -88.5465
- Tishomingo County Fairgrounds108 County Road 187Iuka, MS 3885234.7882, -88.2178
- Hell Creek WMA4120 County Road 825Myrtle, MS 3865034.6199, -89.0644
- Panola County EMS100 MSG William J Ferrell DriveSardis, MS 3866634.4400, -89.8997
- Fire Station 1401 McElroy DriveOxford, MS 3865534.3800, -89.5318
- New Albany Fairgrounds112 Fairgrounds CircleNew Albany, MS 3865234.5127, -89.0329
- Pontotoc Ag Center430 CJ Hardin Jr. DrivePontotoc, MS 3886334.2552, -89.0286
- Elvis Presley Lake272 Road 995Tupelo, MS 3882634.3046, -88.6474
- Canal Section WMA HQ5705 MS 178 WestFulton, MS 3884334.2614, -88.4511
- O’Keefe WMAO’Keefe RoadLambert, MS 3864334.1165, -90.2735
- North Region Office457 County Road 36Enid, MS 3892734.1565, -89.9127
- MDOT Maintenance HQ32988 MS 32Oakland, MS 3894834.0057, -89.9806
- Chickasaw WMA770 MS 32 ExtHouston, MS 3885133.9861, -88.9356
- Dahomey NWR831 MS 446Boyle, MS 3873033.7042, -90.9108
- Deviney WMA171 Hughes-Ertle RoadIndianola, MS 3875133.5876, -90.6361
- Fire Department #4412 MS 7Greenwood, MS. 3893033.5209, -90.1514
- Malmaison WMA126 Malmaison HQ RoadHolcomb, MS 3894033.6840, -90.0512
- MS Forestry Commission1801 US 51 SouthGrenada, MS 3890133.6991, -89.7629
- American Legion Building8243 MS 9Eupora, MS 3974433.6311, -89.2877
- Trim Cane WMA2025 North Jackson StreetStarkville, MS 3975933.5248, -88.8462
- Black Prairie WMA744 Fire Tower RoadCrawford, MS 3974333.3396, -88.5618
- Choctaw WMA2121 Webster RoadAckerman, MS 3973533.2737, -89.1267
- Yockanookany WMA28329 MS 12McCool, MS 3910833.1665, -89.4258
- Fire Station 3257 Gum StreetPhiladelphia, MS 3935032.7744, -89.1215
- Holmes County State Park5369 State Park RoadDurant, MS 3906333.0271, -89.9206
- District 3 VFD171 Old Benton RoadYazoo City, MS 3919432.8411, -90.3840
- Yazoo NWR728 Yazoo Refuge RoadHollandale, MS 3874833.0700, -90.9778
- Valley Park Community Center64 Kelso RoadValley Park, MS 3917732.6335, -90.8709
- Mahannah WMA1370 Anderson-Tully RoadRedwood, MS 3915632.5490, -90.8708
- Phil Bryant WMA11641 MS 465Vicksburg, MS 3918332.4556, -90.9733
- Communication Specialist760 US 61 NorthVicksburg, MS 3918332.3552, -90.8283
- LeFleur’s Bluff State Park3315 Lakeland TerraceJackson, MS 3921632.3317, -90.1499
- Pearl River WMA506 MS 43 SouthCanton, MS 3904632.5234, -89.9704
- Caney Creek WMA6373 West Moore Tower RoadForest, MS 3907432.3247, -89.5051
- Collinsville VFD11710 Nancy DriveCollinsville, MS 3932532.4974, -88.8475
- All Creatures Veterinary Hospital1011 St. Mark DrivePort Gibson, MS 3915031.9675, -90.9802
- Canemount WMA17059 Rodney RoadPort Gibson, MS 3915031.9233, -91.1305
- MSU Extension Office2040 West Gallman RoadHazlehurst, MS 3908331.9252, -90.4073
- MSU Extension Office2785 US 49Mendenhall, MS 3911431.9210, -89.8112
- MSU Extension Office101 Westwood AvenueQuitman, MS 3935532.0426, -88.7395
- Natchez State Park230-B Wickcliff RoadNatchez, MS 3912031.6026, -91.2347
- Jeff Davis Lake16 Lake DrivePrentiss, MS 3947431.5649, -89.8444
- MSU Extension Office68 Collins Industrial Park DriveCollins, MS 3942831.6757, -89.5864
- Bogue Homa Lake149 Bogue Homa Lake RoadLaurel, MS 3944331.7027, -89.0246
- Wilkinson County Sheriff1389 US 61 SouthWoodville, MS 3966931.0861, -91.3002
- Pike County Co-Op105 Nehi CircleMcComb, MS 3964831.2308, -90.4517
- Marion County WMA652 Game Reserve RoadColumbia, MS 3942931.1741, -89.7327
- Purvis VFD805 Main StreetPurvis, MS 3947531.1517, -89.4122
- Leaf River WMAForest Service Road 353McLain, MS 3945630.9902, -88.8651
- Pearl River County Fairgrounds124 Rodeo StreetPoplarville, MS 3947030.8329, -89.5474
- Emergency Operations Center18333 MS 603Kiln, MS 3955630.4369, -89.4327
- Little Biloxi WMA HQHickman Tower RoadPerkinston, MS 3957330.7337, -89.2635
- Fire Station 823560 Old Still RoadSaucier, MS 3957430.6325, -89.1384
- Lower Pascagoula WMA816 Wade Vancleave RoadMoss Point, MS 3956530.5668, -88.6307
- Lake Monroe20018 Lake Monroe DrAberdeen, MS 397333.9460, -88.5635
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
About 28.3% of federal student loan borrowers in Mississippi were in default, according to a 2026 Associated Press analysis of federal data, second only to Puerto Rico’s rate of 30.9%.
For most federal student loans, default occurs after at least 270 days without scheduled payments. Borrowers can eventually face involuntary collections, although the U.S. Department of Education temporarily delayed those collections in January.
For J.C. Gardner, a medical student at William Carey University, student debt has affected decisions beyond repayment.
“I’m a middle child. I have two sisters. They both have careers — have families. I’m single and 28,” Gardner said. “It was a trade-off, either school or family.”
Gardner said becoming debt-free is a priority before starting a family.
“My mom was talking to me, and she asked when I am going to settle down and have a family,” Gardner said. “The first priority is getting debt-free.”
Brian Blank, an associate professor of finance at Mississippi State University, said income can play a significant role in whether borrowers are able to repay their loans.
“The way loans typically work is you’re going to have some specific amount of money that you’re going to be required to pay back each period,” Blank said. “The more money you make, the more likely you are to have that amount of money to repay.”
Mississippi’s average weekly wage was $1,051 during the first quarter of 2026, compared with $1,654 nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mississippi ranked last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“The state of Mississippi is not known for being the wealthiest in the country,” Blank said. “That has a significant impact on default rates in a variety of categories, including student loans.”
Blank said financial literacy can help students decide whether borrowing makes sense, but it cannot address every reason borrowers struggle with repayment.
“In some cases, borrowers are making good decisions and just life happens and they’re not able to pay it back for a variety of reasons,” Blank said. “In many cases, student loan debt probably exceeds what is optimal given the job market prospects upon completion of the degree.”
Completing that degree can also affect a borrower’s ability to repay.
A 2023 Federal Reserve analysis found borrowers who took out student loans for education they did not complete had worse financial outcomes than those who completed their programs. Researchers cautioned that the findings show an association rather than proving noncompletion caused those outcomes.
In Mississippi, 349,410 working-age residents had some college experience but no degree or other credential as of July 2024, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The figure does not show how many have student loan debt.
“By not finishing, you’re not able to get the pay bump that you might have been hoping for,” Blank said. “That makes the repayment a lot more challenging.”
Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford and chair of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, also pointed to college completion as a concern.
“In Mississippi, we’ve had far too many Mississippians go start some college and then never complete either a degree or a certificated program that is in a high-wage job,” Boyd said.
Blank said lower-income students may also have fewer financial resources to absorb an unexpected expense or other disruption that threatens their ability to remain enrolled.
“In wealthier households, you’re more equipped to handle those disruptions and continue your education,” Blank said.
Mississippi has expanded financial literacy requirements as one response.
The Institutions of Higher Learning adopted a policy in March requiring the state’s public universities to make financial literacy concepts accessible to undergraduate students and report their efforts annually.
State lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 2294, which expands financial literacy instruction in public schools beginning in the 2027-28 school year and adds a personal finance requirement for high school graduation beginning with the class of 2032.
Boyd said students need to understand both their loan obligations and what they can expect to earn after completing a program.
“Students need to understand what they are borrowing, what repayment will look like, what their earnings are going to look like, and whether the credential they are pursuing really justifies the debt,” she said.
Boyd also introduced Senate Bill 2045 during the 2026 legislative session, which would have created a committee to study the impact of student loan debt in Mississippi. The bill died in committee.
Blank said reducing default will likely require more than educating borrowers.
“We need to provide more safeguards and tools for lower-income families to successfully navigate higher education,” Blank said.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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