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.

More: People with disabilities make less than minimum wage. The Biden administration wants to change it.

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.

More: Only one Mississippi town made ‘Best Places to Live’ list. Which one made the cut?

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.

Mississippi State has seen a long list of players enter the transfer portal over the last two weeks, and now, some of those players are announcing their destinations. That includes the most notable loss for the Bulldogs, who is choosing to return home for his final year of eligibility.

No transfer portal loss has been more significant for Mississippi State than wide receiver Kevin Coleman. He was State’s best player in 2024 and the lone consistent threat on the offensive side of the ball. He led the SEC with 74 catches, posting 932 yards and six touchdowns.

Losing him was a huge blow to the Bulldog roster, and as one of the top WRs in the portal, he’d have the ability to land at any number of programs. Ultimately, he’s chosen to return to his home state.

Kevin Coleman will finish his career as a Missouri Tiger. The St. Louis native steps in as the new leader of the Mizzou wide receiver room with Luther Burden III off the NFL, as well as the Tigers’ other starting wideouts. Mizzou will be the fourth program Coleman has played for. He began his career at Deion Sander’s Jackson State before moving up to the FBS at Louisville and then joining Mississippi State for the 2024 season.

Kevin Coleman’s transfer to Missouri comes as no surprise. As soon as he entered the transfer portal, the expectation was that he would choose the Tigers. The word around his decision to transfer was that he wanted to get back close to home to finish his college career. Mizzou gives him that opportunity.

Which there is another factor, and it’s not NIL. Going 2-10 is tough on players, especially the veterans whose college careers are ending soon. Mizzou is the far more attractive program right now. He can return home, be the featured WR, and likely have a fun final season of college football.

That’s the tough reality of where Mississippi State is at right now. The Bulldogs have enough NIL funding to keep their best players (within reason) and land good talent out of the portal. But NIL isn’t everything. Players want to win, and selling MSU as a place where that can happen is difficult at the moment.

That’s the challenge for Jeff Lebby going forward. He has to sell prospects on his vision in Starkville without having anything tangible on-field to show them. Until he gets results, State is going to have a hard time holding onto and attracting high level talent like Kevin Coleman.

LSU has received a transfer commitment from former Mississippi State freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren.

Van Buren, who has three years of college football eligibility remaining, announced his decision through the On3 website and a social media post on Sunday — four days after LSU starter Garrett Nussmeier announced he would be returning to the Tigers for his senior season.

Van Buren played in nine games and started seven as freshman for Mississippi State this season, passing for 1,886 yards and 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He also rushed for five touchdowns.

Van Buren became a starter after Bulldogs senier QB Blake Shapen injured his shoulder during MSU’s fourth game of the season. Shapen has announced that he will return to Mississippi State for another season.