Facts about Mississippi

Discover why business analysts and government researchers say Mississippi is a great place to locate a new business or expand an existing one. Your entrepreneurial dreams can begin here.

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Take a closer look at a county or area of the State in which you are now doing business or considering doing business in the future. Use the search bar and interactive map to explore demographic and consumer data.

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Move to Mississippi

Search for specific information pertaining to a Mississippi county or city you are interested in moving to. You can access Real Estate information, home builders, school information, restaurants, entertainment, and much more. If you want to move to Mississippi, this is a great place to research our State.

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ConnectMS: Resources for Small Businesses

Digital Entrepreneurship Hub for Mississippi Small Businesses

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How to Start a Business

Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to establish your business in MS complete with contact information for all state, federal, and local agencies and much more. Ready to be your own Boss? This is a great place to start!

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MISSISSIPPI at a glance

  • Manufacturing in Mississippi is diverse and cutting edge. From major automotive manufacturers and shipbuilders to furniture, paper and chemical production, Mississippi is an aggressive competitor in the global marketplace.
  • Mississippi is a full-spectrum aerospace state with leading manufacturers in unmanned aerial systems, manned aircraft and the space industry. From Airbus helicopters to NASA rocket engines for space travel, Mississippi manufacturers are recognized internationally for cutting edge innovation and product excellence.
  • Mississippi’s public universities have been selected to host Centers of Excellence for unmanned aircraft systems, intelligence and security studies, manufacturing, teaching and learning, ecosystem restoration, swine production and marketing, environmental health, minority health and health disparities, homeland security, watershed management, serving learning, literacy instruction and botanical dietary supplement research.
  • Agriculture is big business in Mississippi – an almost $8 billion industry -- employing almost 30% of the state’s workforce. Poultry and eggs topped production in 2020 with $2.16 billion in product followed for soybeans, forestry, cotton, corn, cattle, catfish, and rice.
  • Mississippi is a reliable energy state offering a surplus of electric power, fresh water, natural gas, transportation fuel infrastructure and a carbon dioxide pipeline system.
  • Mississippi has a growing population of approximately 3 million residents and a labor force of 1.4 million.
  • Our land area is 46,923 square miles. Composed entirely of lowlands, the state’s highest post is 806 feet above sea level at Woodall Mountain in the northeast corner at the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains. The lowest point is sea level at the Gulf Coast.
  • The average temperature in January is 48 degrees and in July is 81. The average rainfall is 52 inches.
  • Mississippi has the longest man-made beach in the U.S. with white sands stretching for 26 miles across the entire width of our southern Gulf coastline.
  • Mississippi has about 63 residents per square mile. Communities range from major metropolitan areas along the Gulf Coast, in the Capital City and neighboring Memphis to mid-sized cities, small farming communities and growing suburban neighborhoods.
  • Mississippi is heavily forested with more than half of the state’s area covered by wild trees including pine, cottonwood, elm, hickory, oak, pecan, sweetgum and tupelo.
  • Educationally, 85 percent of individuals over 25 years of age have earned a high school degree or higher. More than 22 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Mississippi’s Community/Junior College system is ranked as the #1 program in the U.S.
  • Trade supported nearly 51,000 jobs in Mississippi in 2016, or 22% of total jobs. Mississippi exported more than $11.6 billion in goods and serves to foreign markets in 2018. (An increase of 59 percent ($4.3 billion) from its export level in 2008.)
  • In 2013, more than 2000 companies exported goods from Mississippi. Of these, 76% were small and medium-sized enterprises with less than 500 employees.
  • Farming and agricultural-related businesses are Mississippi’s #1 industry.
  • #1 in small business growth – U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Amazon study, 2019
  • #1 for new businesses formations since January 2020 – CardConnect, 2021
  • #1 in aquaculture – USDA, 2021
  • #1 for most affordable state to live in – CNBC, Top States for Doing Business, 2021
  • #2 in best states to practice medicine – Physician’s Practice, 2021
  • #3 for competitive labor costs – Area Development Magazine, 2014
  • #3 in the U.S. for pulpwood production, cotton/cottonseed production – MDAC Annual Report, 2020
  • #4 in speed of permitting – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • #5 for business growth of women-owned businesses – American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, 2014
  • #5 in poultry (broiler) production – USDA, MDAC Annual Report, 2021
  • #5 for competitive utility rates – Area Development Magazine, 2014
  • In the Top 7 for telemedicine healthcare – American Telemedicine Association, 2014
  • In the Top 5 states for shipbuilding – U.S. Dept. of Transportation, MARAD Report, 2019
  • In the Top 5 for business incentive programs – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • In the Top 6 for most entrepreneurial state by new business applications – CardConnect, 2021
  • #7 in cost of doing business – CNBC, Top States for Doing Business, 2021
  • #7 in overall cost of doing business – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • Named a Top 10 Global Ecosystem in Startup Experience, Global Entrepreneurship Network, Startup Genome, 2021
  • In the Top 10 for favorable regulatory Environment – Area Development Magazine, 2020
  • In the Top 10 for favorable regulatory environment – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • 10 in the world for oil & gas development – Fraser Institute, 2020
  • In the Top 10 for automotive manufacturing strength – Business Facilities, 2014
  • In the Top 10 for performance of state highway system – 25th Annual Highway Report, 2020
  • In the Top 10 for available real estate – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • In the Top 12 states for doing business – Area Development Magazine, 2021
  • In the Top 13 for most tax-friendly states to retire – US News, 2021
  • Awarded the Silver Shovel Award for economic development success – Area Development Magazine, 2020
  • Named a tax friendly state by Kiplinger, 2020
  • Grade A for State Regulatory Openness Scorecard – FreedomWorks Foundation, 2021
  • Mississippi Gulf Coast named one of the world’s 50 best places to travel – Travel Lemming, 2022
  • Mississippi offers an excellent quality of life with a varied natural scenery, year-round outdoor recreational venues, a spectrum of unequalled cultural events, a diverse population and some of the friendliest people in the U.S.
  • From the Blues Trail and the Freedom Trail to the Natchez Trace Parkway and the Country Music Trail, scenic roads and byways showcase our rich heritage, natural scenery and unique community festivals all across the State.
  • Home to the Father of Country Music, the King of the Blues and the King of Rock and Roll, Mississippi is steeped in a literary and musical heritage of internationally acclaimed writers, performers and artists.
  • Mississippi’s 20 Certified Retirement Cities offer residential options from quality towns and communities to bustling metropolitan areas.
  • A vibrant Creative Economy is exploding from Mississippi’s rich cultural heritage to promote the work of artists, musicians, writers, designers, sculptors, architect, chefs and many others in the creative fields. Employing more than 70,000 Mississippians, our creative economy is a major economic drive and job producer.
  • Mississippi is ranked #6 in the U.S. for our low cost of living – CNBC, 2014
  • Mississippi is ranked #1 for most affordable state to live in – CNBC, Top States for Doing Business, 2021
  • In home ownership, Mississippi ranks almost 5 percent above the national average at 69.4 percent.
  • Mississippi is the most generous state in the U.S.

Select a County or Metro/Micro Area

Select a county in Mississippi to get started. This tool will guide you directly to the interactive map and focus your attention on the selected county. From there, just add categories of information. Detailed Reports provide registered users with a rich set of local information.

Select a metro area (core urban area of 50,000 or more in population) or micro area (core urban area of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 in population) in Mississippi to get started. This tool will guide you directly to the interactive map and focus your attention on the selected area. From there, just add categories of information. Detailed Reports provide registered users with a rich set of local information.

Select a Business Group or Industry

Use the search bar to select any business, industry, category, or area of the State featured on Y'all Business. The map will populate with the selected information.

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Click on one of the nine featured business groups or industries and the map will automatically populate with the pertinent information. For example, selecting restaurant will populate the map with competitor locations and traffic counts, among other relevant information.

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Move to Mississippi

Use the search bar to select any business, industry, category, or area of the State featured on Y'all Business. The map will populate with the selected information.

-OR-

Click on one of the nine featured business groups or industries and the map will automatically populate with the pertinent information. For example, selecting restaurant will populate the map with competitor locations and traffic counts, among other relevant information.

For a brief tutorial on how to navigate this layer of Y'all Business, click here.

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