Mississippi Metropolitan Areas Hold Lowest Unemployment Rate in the Nation

JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves today announced that multiple metropolitan areas in Mississippi now held the lowest not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the entire nation. The data comes from a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Hattiesburg and Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Areas are tied for first in the nation with an April 2024 not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 1.6%. The Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area is tied for sixth in the nation with an April 2024 not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 1.8%.

“This new data is further proof that Mississippi’s economy is on fire,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We have had an unprecedented run of record-shattering private sector investment and new economic development projects in the last few years. We’ve secured more good-paying jobs for the people of our state, and this shows that it’s making a difference.”

The news follows a series of recent wins in Mississippi including the announcement of the largest economic development project in state history – a $10 billion investment from Amazon Web Services that will bring 1,000 new high-paying tech jobs to the Jackson metro area. Furthermore, this year, the largest payroll commitment in state history was made – a $1.9 billion investment from a joint venture between Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck, and PACCAR that will create 2,000 jobs with an average annual salary of approximately $66,000.

The local area unemployment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics can be read in full here.