JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The latest state unemployment data revealed the most engaged workforce resides in the metro.
According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), the state’s labor force consisted of 1,290,991 people through May 2025. For those looking for an area in Mississippi to work, MDES data showed that the Jackson metro should be on your list of places to live. Since 2024, the labor force on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Pine Belt grew marginally at just over one percent. Jackson’s labor force had modest gains as well, but grew at roughly twice the rate of those two metro areas.
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Though the state’s labor force increased since 2024, so has its unemployment rate. The average rate in 2024 was 3.2%; so far in 2025, it has been 3.8%. The metro has largely seen the same trends observed on the state level. Below is an overview of how various areas of the metro have changed over the last year.
The Jackson metro area labor force grew in all cities listed by MDES; the same occurred in each metro county overall. However, the unemployment rate for each city and county above also increased.
The unemployment rate statewide and in all three metro areas grew during and since 2024, but the Gulf’s average unemployment rate grew at the fastest rate. Still, since the start of 2025, the Jackson metro has maintained a 3.4% unemployment rate among the labor force of 289,070 people. This is slightly under the 3.6% unemployment rate of both metro areas in South Mississippi.
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