Mississippi Q1, 2019 Employment Statistics- 74,405 employers, up 1.9% from 73,040
- 1,126,940 employees, up 0.7% from 1,119,445
- $779 average weekly wage, up 1.8% from $765
- The average weekly wage is 34.2% below the national average
- The cost of living is 14.3% below the national average
Employer & Employee Growth
In the last year, the number of employers in the state increased by 1,365, which is an increase of 1.9%. The number of employees in Mississippi increased by 7,495, an increase of 0.7%. During this same period, the average weekly wage increased by $14, an increase of 1.8%.
The number of private employers increased since last years' Q1. The number of private businesses increased by 1,359 or 2.0%. Growth in private businesses in Mississippi grew slower than the national average of 3.0%. The number of employees in these businesses increased since last years' Q1, increasing by 7,820 or 0.9%. The growth in employees of private businesses in Mississippi was slower than the national average of 1.7%.
The average weekly wage of employees of private businesses increased since last years' Q1. The averge weekly wage increased by $14 or 1.9%. Growth in average weekly wage of employees of private businesses in Mississippi grew slower than the national average of 3.0%.
Leading Sectors
Businesses by Sector
The sector with the greatest number of businesses in the state is Retail trade with 15.7% of the businesses in the state. The number of businesses in this sector increased by 0.9%. Professional services (10.1%), which increased by 4.0% and Healthcare (9.3%), which increased by 2.0%, round out the 3 largest sectors.
Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Qtly Business Change %
| Sector | Change Biz | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Transport and warehousing | 175 | 6.4% |
| Professional services | 291 | 4.0% |
| Construction | 158 | 2.8% |
| Educational services | 19 | 2.7% |
| Waste services | 111 | 2.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 149 | 2.6% |
| Arts and entertainment | 16 | 2.1% |
| Healthcare | 135 | 2.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 50 | 1.8% |
| Other services | 72 | 1.6% |
| Agriculture and forestry | 20 | 1.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 53 | 1.1% |
| Retail trade | 100 | 0.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 44 | 0.9% |
| Information | 6 | 0.6% |
| Manufacturing | -17 | -0.7% |
| Company management | -7 | -1.1% |
| Mining and oil extraction | -5 | -1.1% |
| Utilities | -11 | -2.1% |
Employees by Sector
The sector with the greatest number of employees in the state is Manufacturing with 13.0% of the employees in the state, had an increase in employees of 1.5% in the last year. Retail trade (12.0%), decreased by 1.5% and Healthcare (11.8%), increased by 1.4%, round out the top 3 sectors.Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Qtly Employee Change %
| Sector | Employee Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Transport and warehousing | 2,495 | 5.3% |
| Construction | 1,056 | 2.5% |
| Waste services | 1,301 | 2.0% |
| Manufacturing | 2,191 | 1.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 479 | 1.4% |
| Healthcare | 1,850 | 1.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 153 | 1.3% |
| Mining and oil extraction | 50 | 1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 930 | 0.8% |
| Company management | 49 | 0.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 138 | 0.4% |
| Agriculture and forestry | 32 | 0.3% |
| Educational services | 18 | 0.2% |
| Other services | -31 | -0.2% |
| Arts and entertainment | -53 | -0.6% |
| Professional services | -331 | -1.0% |
| Retail trade | -2,135 | -1.5% |
| Information | -193 | -1.7% |
| Utilities | -179 | -2.3% |
Average Weekly Wage by Sector
The sector that pays their employees the highest is Utilities paying $1,849per week compared with the state average of $766. Weekly wages in this sector rose by $71 or 4.0%. Company management ($1,822), declined by $28 or 1.5% and Mining and oil extraction ($1,583) increased by $91 or 6.1% round out the 3 largest sectors.Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Weekly Wage Change %
| Sector | Wage Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|
| Mining and oil extraction | $91 | 6.1% |
| Other services | $26 | 4.0% |
| Real estate and rental | $28 | 4.0% |
| Utilities | $71 | 4.0% |
| Transport and warehousing | $31 | 3.7% |
| Waste services | $18 | 3.6% |
| Educational services | $21 | 3.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | $9 | 2.8% |
| Wholesale trade | $32 | 2.8% |
| Healthcare | $19 | 2.4% |
| Retail trade | $12 | 2.4% |
| Finance and insurance | $23 | 1.9% |
| Information | $18 | 1.8% |
| Arts and entertainment | $5 | 1.4% |
| Construction | $13 | 1.4% |
| Professional services | $14 | 1.3% |
| Agriculture and forestry | $5 | 0.7% |
| Manufacturing | $-7 | -0.7% |
| Company management | $-28 | -1.5% |
Leading Industries
Businesses by Industry
Each broad sector is made up of specific industries. In Mississippi. the industry with the most businesses is Restaurants and other eating places with 6.2% of the businesses in the state (with 4,576 employing 88,934 workers). The Restaurants and other eating places industry had 135 more businesses, an increase of 3.0% in the last year. Gasoline stations with convenience stores (2.8% of businesses) added 68 businesses, an increase of 3.3% and Offices of physicians (2.3% of businesses) added 33 businesses, an increase of 1.9% round out the 3 industries with the most businesses.Table: Top 7 Industries by Business Change %
| Industry | Business Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Footwear merchant wholesalers | 2 | 100.0% |
| Political organizations | 8 | 66.7% |
| Parking lots and garages | 6 | 60.0% |
| Monetary authorities - central bank | 1 | 50.0% |
| Appliance and electronics merchant whls. | 4 | 44.4% |
| Natural gas extraction | 4 | 40.0% |
| Sporting goods merchant wholesalers | 10 | 40.0% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Business Change #
| Industry | Business Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and other eating places | 135 | 3.0% |
| Computer systems design and related services | 71 | 4.5% |
| Gasoline stations with convenience stores | 68 | 3.3% |
| General merchandise stores including warehouse clubs and supercenters | 63 | 6.2% |
| Other specialized trucking local | 56 | 10.7% |
| Temporary help services | 56 | 5.3% |
| Accounting and bookkeeping services | 48 | 4.5% |
Employees by Industry
Gasoline stations with convenience stores (2.8% of employees) added 68 employees, an increase of 3.3% and Offices of physicians (2.3% ofemployees) added 33 employees, an increase of 1.9% round out the 3 industries with the most employees.Table: Top 7 Industries by Employee Change %
| Industry | Emp Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Political organizations | 19 | 175.6% |
| Coffee and tea manufacturing | 8 | 171.4% |
| Distilleries | 12 | 98.0% |
| Paint and coating manufacturing | 146 | 92.2% |
| Local messengers and local delivery | 449 | 89.8% |
| Other financial vehicles | 3 | 83.3% |
| Wiring device manufacturing | 77 | 72.2% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Employee Change #
| Industry | Emp Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and other eating places | 1,047 | 1.2% |
| Services for the elderly and disabled | 839 | 8.8% |
| Temporary help services | 639 | 2.5% |
| Electrical equipment manufacturing | 614 | 12.6% |
| Aerospace product and parts manufacturing | 486 | 60.1% |
| Landscaping services | 471 | 14.7% |
| Offices of physicians | 468 | 2.3% |
Average Weekly Wage by Industry
Gasoline stations with convenience stores ($3) and Offices of physicians ($2) round out the top 3 industries. Employees in the Gasoline stations with convenience stores ($3 per week) were paid $68 more per week, an increase of 3.3% and Offices of physicians ($2 per week) were paid $33 more per week, an increase of 1.9% round out the 3 industries that pay their employees the most.Table: Top 7 Industries by Wage Change %
| Industry | Wkly Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Promoters with facilities | $140 | 92.1% |
| Other support activities for air transport. | $761 | 81.0% |
| Business to business electronic markets | $857 | 59.3% |
| Financial transaction processing and clearing | $601 | 51.9% |
| Coffee and tea manufacturing | $169 | 51.4% |
| Emergency and other relief services | $844 | 45.7% |
| Motor vehicle metal stamping | $376 | 44.5% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Wage Change $
| Industry | Wkly Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Business to business electronic markets | $857 | 59.3% |
| Emergency and other relief services | $844 | 45.7% |
| Other support activities for air transport. | $761 | 81.0% |
| Coal mining | $612 | 29.9% |
| Financial transaction processing and clearing | $601 | 51.9% |
| Photographic equip. merchant wholesalers | $511 | 42.5% |
| Other telecommunications | $509 | 37.3% |
Company Size
Mississippi Businesses by Size
The solopreneur company, has the most businesses in Mississippi by far. 57.1% of all businesses in the state have fewer than 5 employees. The 67,461 small businesses in the state represent 95.7% of all private businesses. The national average is 92.9%. (Small businesses have fewer than 50 employees, Solopreneurs employ fewer than 5.) Mississippi added 1,359 businesses in the last year, an increase of 2.0% as compared to the national average of 3.0%.Small businesses are defined as companies with fewer than 50 employees. These small businesses added 1,354 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 2.0% as compared to the national average of 3.1%.
Mid-sized businesses are defined as companies with between 50 and 499 employees. These mid-sized businesses added 2 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 0.1% as compared to the national average of 1.3%.
Large businesses are defined as companies with more than 500 employees. These large businesses added 3 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 2.6% as compared to the national average of 2.1%.
Mississippi Employees by Business Size
Mississippi added 23,461 employees in the last year, an increase of 2.7% as compared to the national average of 5.2%. Small businesses are defined as companies with fewer than 50 employees. These small businesses added 10,952 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 19.4% as compared to the national average of 4.2%.Mid-sized businesses are defined as companies with between 50 and 499 employees. Mid-sized businesses added 3,290 employees in the last year, which is an increase of 1.0% as compared to the national average of 4.7%.
Large businesses are defined as companies with more than 500 employees. Large businesses added 9,219 employees in the last year, which is an increase of 7.8% as compared to the national average of 9.2%.
Mississippi Avg Weekly Wages by Business Size
Mississippi workers in every size business are paid less than the national average. The smallest companies in Mississippi (those with fewer than 5 employees) pay workers 22.0% less than the national average ($824 per week as compared to the national average of $1,005 per week). The largest companies in Mississippi (those with more than 1,000 employees) pay 103.7% workers below the national average ($939 per week as compared to the national average of $1,913 per week).Average weekly wages in small businesses added $63 per week in the last year, which is an increase of 2.2% as compared to the national average of 3.1%. Employees of mid-sized businesses added $22 in wages per week in the last year, which is an increase of 1.0% as compared to the national average of 1.3%.
Employees of large businesses added $34 of weekly wages in the last year, which is an increase of 1.8% as compared to the national average of 2.1%.
Data Sources
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