JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – An annual report reflecting on the healthcare outcome of the country’s youngest citizens indicates that Mississippi’s babies and their mothers are disproportionately worse off than others nationwide.
In its annual analysis, March of Dimes again gave the country a “D+” ranking for the health outcomes of babies and moms. Just one state, New Hampshire, received an “A” rating. Only seven states received a “B” rating. Mississippi was one of eight states that received a failing grade. It had the highest preterm birth rate nationally at 15%. The 2025 report used data from 2024.
The preterm birth rate among Mississippi’s children has steadily increased from the 2014 rate of 12.9% to 15%. It remained unchanged from the March of Dimes’ 2024 reports. In Jackson, the preterm birth rate for 2024 was 20.3%.
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The preterm birth rate is largely tied to race, socioeconomic status and zip code. Black children are over 45% more likely to be born prematurely in Mississippi than white children. Medicaid paid for over half of all live births in Mississippi. Still, children born to parents on Medicaid are roughly 20% more likely to be born prematurely than those on private insurance. Children born in Hinds County are about 44% more likely to be born early than babies in Madison County…