Mississippi Metropolitan Areas Hold Lowest Unemployment Rate in the Nation

JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves announced yesterday that several Mississippi metropolitan areas now have the lowest not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in the nation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provided this data in a new report.

Specifically, the Hattiesburg and Jackson metropolitan statistical areas are tied for first in the nation with an April 2024 unemployment rate of 1.6%. Additionally, the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula metropolitan statistical area is tied for sixth with a rate of 1.8%.

“This new data further proves that Mississippi’s economy is on fire,” Reeves said. “We have experienced an unprecedented run of private sector investment and new economic development projects. Consequently, we’ve secured more good-paying jobs for our people, and this shows that it’s making a difference.”

Furthermore, this news follows several recent wins for Mississippi. For instance, Amazon Web Services announced the largest economic development project in state history, a $10 billion investment that will bring 1,000 new tech jobs to the Jackson metro area. Additionally, a joint venture between Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck, and PACCAR committed to a $1.9 billion investment. This project will create 2,000 jobs with an average annual salary of approximately $66,000.

Mississippi has celebrated a recent string of low unemployment numbers since 2023. As of April 2024, the rate is listed at 2.8 percent.

Read the full local area unemployment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics here.