Employment in Mississippi’s two largest counties increased between March 2024 and March 2025, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hinds County saw the larger employment growth, with a rise of 0.3 percent over the year.
Hinds County had higher total employment at 109,200 in March 2025 compared to Harrison County. Together, these counties represented about 17.1 percent of all covered jobs in Mississippi during this period. In comparison, the largest 372 counties across the United States accounted for about 73.4 percent of national covered employment.
Average weekly wages also rose in both large Mississippi counties during this timeframe. Hinds County experienced a wage increase of 5.2 percent, while Harrison County’s average weekly wage grew by 3.7 percent.
Despite these increases, both Hinds and Harrison counties reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,589; Hinds stood at $1,200 and Harrison at $990.
For Mississippi’s smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—employment and wage levels were also reported. Most small counties paid below the national average wage: Claiborne had the highest ($1,607), while Issaquena posted the lowest ($601).
Out of all 82 counties statewide, ten reported an average weekly wage under $775; twenty-three fell between $775 and $849; twenty-two ranged from $850 to $924; ten were between $925 and $999; and seventeen had wages of at least $1,000 per week.
Additional data on quarterly employment and wages is available through technical notes accompanying this release as well as on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website (https://www.bls.gov/cew/). The next report covering second quarter results is scheduled for December 3, 2025.
“Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Hinds County had the larger over-the-year increase in employment (+0.3 percent).”
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