By: Douglas Carswell, President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Mississippi is shedding its image as an economic laggard. Over the past five years, the state’s economic output has grown more than it did over the previous fifteen years combined.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Mississippi posted the second-fastest per capita GDP growth and fifth-fastest personal income growth among all states in Q4 2024. Billions in capital investment have flowed in.
This growth is happening across the state—from the Gulf Coast and Pine Belt to DeSoto County, the Jackson metro area, and the university hubs of Oxford and Starkville.
Mississippi whooooosh!
Mississippi’s recent growth is no accident. It is down to good public policy. Since 2022, Mississippi has implemented transformative tax cuts, reduced the state income tax and lowered the grocery sales tax and easing business inventory taxes. A 2021 law streamlining occupational licensing reduced barriers for workers and entrepreneurs, with the Mississippi Secretary of State reporting a 12% increase in new business registrations in 2023 alone.
Energy in our state is affordable, Mississippi electricity rates averaging 13.43 cents per kilowatt-Hour, helping draw in energy-intensive industries, including two major data centers in Madison and Rankin counties. To top it all, Mississippi’s public universities are fueling growth, and around Oxford and Starkville, entrepreneurial ecosystems are thriving.
But to maintain this momentum, our state needs to abandon policymaking as usual and embrace bold reform. That’s why the Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) has just launched The Mississippi Miracle? Bold Reforms for Growth.
Our paper details practical steps to sustain and accelerate this momentum:
- Empower Parents Through School Choice: Let families use state funds for public, private, or homeschooling options to drive competition and elevate education standards.
- Refocus Higher Education: Cut administrative bloat, prioritize workforce-relevant programs, and redirect resources from low-value courses to practical, job-focused education.
- Rein in Public Spending: Cap budget growth to population growth plus inflation to ensure fiscal discipline and curb waste.
- Cut Red Tape: Eliminate outdated regulations, repeal Certificate of Need laws, and create a business-friendly environment to spur innovation.
- Reform Public Procurement: Mandate transparent, competitive bidding with regular audits to prevent cronyism and maximize taxpayer value.
- Promote Welfare-to-Work: Emphasize work requirements, job training, and time-limited benefits to foster self-sufficiency and reduce program costs.
These reforms are practical policies that lawmakers can implement to improve lives across Mississippi.
To explore them in detail, visit mspolicy.org under “Publications” or email me at carswell@mspolicy.org for a direct link.
MCPP has a small, but highly productive team. We punch above our weight, producing policy proposals that become law, and helping set the agenda at the Capitol. We are able to do all this because we have the input of so many people across our state. Please read our proposals and share your thoughts—I want to hear what you think.
For decades, Mississippi exported people. Young people in particular tended to leave our state for places like Atlanta, Nashville, Huntsville and Austin.
I believe the tide is starting to turn. I often hear anecdotes of young people moving back to Mississippi. The data suggests that growth in our state is creating opportunities and drawing more people to move here .
Have a read of our report and help us build on this momentum.
Douglas Carswell is President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.