Mississippi, the countries poorest US State, are wages really that low? (Jackson: fit in, mortgage)

[Old Tired Man]

If you have lived up North and in Mississippi how do wages compare for the same jobs and in relation to the cost of living? Lets say I worked as an Administrative Assistant for a national company and did the same job in Jackson Mississippi using the same skills and the same educational and experience requirements as an Administrative Assistant job in Chicago where the cost of living is much higher. Where would I have the higher standard of living for doing the same job?

* I just used Administrative Assistant as an example. My question could relate to any common job title for the middle class.

[gvillesux]

COL here is much less than up north. property taxes, fuel costs, grocery costs(with the exception of milk usually) and etc.. are way less down here. I work on the road a good bit and see all parts of the United States so i have seen this with my own eyes. I have never lived outside of MS, but i have many friends that do and we have discuss overall taxes on many occassions.


A former coworker left us to move off 1000 miles because he had an offer making about 25.00 an hour there compared to the 15.00 we paid him(this was back in the '90's so an excellent wage for the area). after being there for close to year he said the pay itself really did not work out to be any better due to higher COL, though he did get better benefits.

[peppermint]

I don't know about your question specifically. I don't think there is a huge difference in pay for the same jobs, but you have a job deficiency in MS. My husband started out as a hardware engineer in MS, but there was no upward mobility within his field in the state. He was 25 years old and at a dead end job, capped at $42,000 / year (which is good money for MS). There are not a lot of engineering jobs or hard core science jobs (geology, biology, chemistry, zoology, etc.) in the state. The number of high income jobs are fewer than other states like MA, NY, or even PA. That's the problem, I think.

[Old Tired Man]

The average middle class person in Mississippi (or most anywhere) does not want to turn the world on fire and are happy just working and being a family person, so opportunities for high paying jobs found in a place like New York may not be an issue or worth the hassle for the average person.

Originally Posted by peppermint

I don't know about your question specifically. I don't think there is a huge difference in pay for the same jobs, but you have a job deficiency in MS. My husband started out as a hardware engineer in MS, but there was no upward mobility within his field in the state. He was 25 years old and at a dead end job, capped at $42,000 / year (which is good money for MS). There are not a lot of engineering jobs or hard core science jobs (geology, biology, chemistry, zoology, etc.) in the state. The number of high income jobs are fewer than other states like MA, NY, or even PA. That's the problem, I think.

[peppermint]

Family is key. Most people don't want to leave their families. My husband and I came from very different families than most MSians. My parents moved 13 hours away from their childhood homes, and my inlaws are from TX & FL. Leaving for work is normal in our families. It isn't normal for most of the MSians I know. Most of my classmates live in our hometown like their parents, grands, and back.

If the opportunities to make more money were there, the average income would be higher. The jobs don't exist and people won't move for them.

[ColdAilment]

sAs a transplant currently living in Mississippi coming from Indiana, I have experience with this queation. Generally, if it's a job that r

[GrandviewGloria]

Mississippi's poverty is due to an explosion of a certain portion of the population. That segment is marginally employable at best. But the government has hooked that group up to a 'resources' pipeline, which encourages them to continue exploding in number, regardless of now-irrelevant factors like availability of jobs. Mother Nature has her own ways of dealing with organisms which are not viable. Nanny Gubmint, however, is nothing like Mother Nature.

So, to adapt a line from Mae West... "Honey, wages had nothin' ta do with it."

[Old Tired Man]

Originally Posted by GrandviewGloria

Mississippi's poverty is due to an explosion of a certain portion of the population. That segment is marginally employable at best. But the government has hooked that group up to a 'resources' pipeline, which encourages them to continue exploding in number, regardless of now-irrelevant factors like availability of jobs. Mother Nature has her own ways of dealing with organisms which are not viable. Nanny Gubmint, however, is nothing like Mother Nature.

So, to adapt a line from Mae West... "Honey, wages had nothin' ta do with it."

So are you saying that if you don't fit into that "certain portion of the population" and live in Mississippi you are doing OK?

[oldenfatt]

Originally Posted by Old Tired Man

So are you saying that if you don't fit into that "certain portion of the population" and live in Mississippi you are doing OK?

Pretyy much. Living outside the Delta helps too.

[An Einnseanair]

Getting a little back on topic...

My brother got a job as a mechanic at a coal mine a while back. He is a trained diesel engine mechanic, a hard worker, and is skilled at taking apart and rebuilding monstrous trucks that are larger than many houses. He was ecstatic to be making $16/hour, which was a darn good wage for our very rural home county. This was a long time ago, so I'm sure his pay is significantly higher now.

At the time I was living in Kansas City and I declined to tell him that an untrained Union Laborer (ditch digger) could easily make about $16/hour. More with seniority, and more still if he could shovel concrete in addition to dirt.

The key difference is that his mortgage plus ALL utilities combined was way less than my mortgage payment.

If you're planning on living near one of the larger cities (Jackson, Southhaven/Memphis, or the Gulf Coast), then your standard of living will generally be LOWER in Mississippi. Lots of people looking for work, and housing is much more expensive.

If you're planning on living near one of the small towns (less than 50k people), and are willing to drive a few miles (10-30), then assuming you can get a job your standard of living will generally be HIGHER in Mississippi. Land can be bought for a few thousand an acre, and used houses are usually fairly inexpensive. With a little land it's easy to supplement your income with a little sweat equity by planting a garden.

A very key requirement is finding a job. Lots of people looking these days. But if you have a good interview personallity, good references, good experience, and don't have any huge "interview negatives" (major health issues, too old/young, etc.) you should have pretty good luck there.