How many jobs were lost in last month?

Updated Apr. 14, 2026Refreshed monthly
Mississippi lost 800 jobs in January 2026, ranking it 49th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 1,100 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

-800

month to month change in number of jobs (January 2026)

49th

rank among states in monthly job growth (January 2026)
January 2026's loss of 800 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Mississippi. Monthly job growth was up from the 2,400 lost jobs in December 2025.
During the latest five year period (February 2021 to January 2026), Mississippi gained jobs in 38 out of 60 months. July 2023 had the 12th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2021 (+11,900) while job growth was weakest in July 2023 (-4,800).

There were 800 fewer jobs in January 2026 in Mississippi than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, February 2021–January 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Mississippi sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in January 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in January 2026 were transportation, warehousing, and utilities, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and wholesale trade. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 900 jobs, more than the entire economy. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services gained 500 jobs, while wholesale trade added 400. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

The local government sector lost 300 jobs during January 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Mississippi (January 2026)

How does Mississippi's job growth in 2025 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 750 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 1,200, and the smallest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as ninth-highest in job growth since 2006.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 3,600 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,500 on average every month in 2022.

In 2025, Mississippi gained an average of 750 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among three metro areas at least partially in Mississippi during January 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,200 jobs in the Gulfport, MS area to a gain of 0 jobs in the Hattiesburg, MS area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Mississippi

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.