Employment in Mississippi’s two largest counties, Hinds and Harrison, increased between March 2024 and March 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee stated that “Hinds County had the larger over-the-year increase in employment (+0.3 percent).”
In March 2025, Hinds County recorded an employment figure of 109,200, making it the county with higher employment among the two. Combined, Hinds and Harrison counties represented 17.1 percent of all covered employment in Mississippi during this period. For comparison, across the United States, the 372 largest counties accounted for about 73.4 percent of total covered employment.
Both counties also saw their average weekly wages rise over the year. “Hinds had the larger increase (+5.2 percent), followed by Harrison (+3.7 percent),” according to Lee.
Despite these increases, both counties’ average weekly wages remained below the national average of $1,589 for March 2025. The average weekly wage was $1,200 in Hinds County and $990 in Harrison County.
The report also included information on smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees in 2024—where wage levels were generally lower than the national average. Of these small counties, Claiborne reported the highest average weekly wage at $1,607 while Issaquena had the lowest at $601.
Out of all 82 Mississippi counties analyzed:
– Ten reported average weekly wages below $775,
– Twenty-three fell between $775 and $849,
– Twenty-two ranged from $850 to $924,
– Ten were between $925 and $999,
– Seventeen reported wages of $1,000 or more per week.
More detailed state-level QCEW data is available in table three of this release.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly publishes nationwide coverage on county employment and wages and provides further details through its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
Information from this release can be made accessible to individuals with sensory impairments upon request via voice phone or Telecommunications Relay Service.
The next County Employment and Wages news release for second quarter 2025 is scheduled for December 3, 2025.
