State ranks second for prime working-age employment gains since 2020

A report from Pew highlights Mississippi as having the second highest gains in the nation in its employment rate for prime-age workers between Q1 2020 and Q1 2023. Prime-age workers are individuals between the ages of 25–54.

“These gains are a result of us keeping Mississippi’s economy open during COVID and the record capital investment happening in our state,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “There was a lot of pressure to shutdown Mississippi’s economy indefinitely. We never caved and our people went back to work. That sent a message to job creators across the country: that Mississippi is open for business and our people are worthy of investment. Our state is heading in the right direction and this report is further proof of that.”

According to the report, “States with the greatest gains between the first quarters of 2020 and 2023 were Utah (3.8 percentage points), Mississippi (3.4 percentage points), and South Dakota (3.3 percentage points). Both the number of people and those employed in their prime working years increased in these states, with employment growing faster.”

In June 2023, Mississippi’s unemployment rate hit an all-time low for the fourth month in a row. Mississippi was one of only 11 states to see a drop in its unemployment rate that month.