I’ve heard in terms of states to avoid in the US, it consistently ranks on top.

I’m curious to know why people bash it so much and find out if there’s truth to it. Surely Mississippi ain’t that bad!

46 comments

  4. Lot of poverty, awful government, bad education system.

    There are nice pockets, though. And a lot of friendly, warm, wry people. Good music. Great food. The cotton fields are gorgeous just before harvest.

  5. Any positive ranking Mississippi almost always ranks in the bottom. Any negative ranking Mississippi almost always ranks on top

  6. Its religious, rural, conservative, and the highest percent minority of every state. Its everything reddit hates all at once.

  8. It’s a poor state w a bad history. When you combine that w low industrialization, poor governance, and all of the other negative stereotypes that people have of the South in general, it’s not a surprise that people bash it.

    It has a very rich culture and has contributed a lot to American society/culture at large, but unfortunately some of the bashing related to the state’s governance and economic/QOL indicators are very much true, it’s not exactly a state that you would consider to have a bright future or something on par with a Georgia, Massachusetts, or California etc….

  9. I went to law school in Oxford, MS and I loved it. The town is adorable, with one of my favorite bookstores ever right on the square. The food is freaking phenomenal. The Grove is incredible for tailgating. We had great speakers come to town for lectures and hosted the first of the Obama/McCain presidential debates while I was there. I’m a history nerd and there were some very cool sites in the area (with Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s home, being the most popular). My classmates from Mississippi were wonderful! Super friendly and welcoming – their hospitality put my home state of Georgia to shame.

    All that said, Oxford is relatively liberal for Mississippi and my law school class was a close knit, diverse group of people. Leave the town though and there are areas of Mississippi that feel like you’ve hopped in a Time Machine and traveled back to the height of Jim Crow. Some of the most horrible, backwards shit I’d ever witnessed. And the worst part is that people there acted like it was totally normal. Because of this, it is not somewhere I would ever chose to live long term.

  10. If you really, truly took the effort to figure it out a bit Mississippi would probably be one of the best places for an open minded European to visit in the USA.

  12. It’s fine to visit. There are some good spots and awesome restaurants.

    Living there is a different story. There’s a lot of poverty, lots of corruption, and not a lot of emphasis on education.

  13. There is a lot of bad history.

    My experience in Meridian in the early 90s was that it was racist as hell. Also the only place I’ve ever been derogatorily called a Yankee.

    Asian (Navy A School) classmate of mine was openly pointed and laughed at by both black and white people. Several shipmates learned the hard way that black people didn’t go to certain white establishments. Hell, even had a white classmate get jumped for being a “Yankee”, chill dude just minding his business.

    Is it still that way today? I don’t know, don’t care to find out. The Gulf Coast has been decent the couple times I’ve been through, but I avoid the rest of the state as much as possible just because of my experiences there.

  14. I don’t know do you like Dollar General and getting shit faced every night. Well then Mississippi is for you.

  15. I’m sure it has some great sites to see (ex. Emmett Till Memorial) and has some of the most influential people grew up there (ex. Elvis)–infact his cousin actually tried to run for governor.

    BUT It has a VERY racist history, and today is VERY poor with a corrupt government (Brett Favre literally stole money from the MS welfare fund)

  17. It consistently ranks as one of the worst states for every single measurable metric

    Education, poverty, disease, access to healthcare, the health and well-being of its citizens, corruption, pollution, the list goes on and on.

    So when you put all those terrible rankings together it turns out that Mississippi is the worst state to live in because of these things.

    Alabama also has many of the same issues as Mississippi but rank slightly above Mississippi in most metrics, so they have adopted a saying “thank God for Mississippi” because if it wasn’t for them Alabama would be the worst state

  18. I passed through Mississippi for the first time in my life by bus a few years ago, when traveling from Texas to Michigan, and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s actually a rather pretty state, mostly rural, very green, and fairly flat closer to the Mississippi River Delta. I can’t really speak all that much about the *people* of that state as I didn’t really encounter many locals during my brief time there, so I have nothing really either good or bad to say about them (the few I did encounter seemed all right), but the land itself was quite nice. I wouldn’t be opposed to revisiting the state in the future.

  19. There aren’t geological boundaries around each state and you experience an incredibly different culture than where you just came from. Mississippi is part of the south and you can argue about the politics and history playing into the impoverishment and lack of education but driving in will feel the same as coming from Memphis or Mobile or Arkansas. I’ve visited and I had a great time although I didn’t have to live there as a poor person of color. My mileage definitely varied.

  20. It ranks last in basically every metric you wouldn’t want to be last in (income, health care access, etc.)

    Rural, extremely hot and humid, racist legacy from the Civil War.

    It’s where Blues music, and thus rock music, was birthed though.

  21. Whenever this question gets asked, [this link](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release/tables?rid=175&eid=266090) and [this link](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release/tables?rid=175&eid=782546) are essential reading: per capita income by county and metro area. Note that some of the Mississippi cities are accidentally placed with Minnesota in the latter table.

    Simply put, the biggest factor is that Mississippi doesn’t have any major cities to act as economic engines. Jackson is the largest metro at 600K, and it’s not too different in income from similarly sized cities like Spokane, Scranton, or Toledo. But those cities have Seattle/Philadelphia/Cincinnati to tilt the scales higher when it comes to state measurements.

    Mississippi does also have an unusually high number of very poor counties (<40K income). Most of these are in the Delta and are lightly populated. A lot of Mississippi counties have incomes in the 40-50K range which is fairly typical for rural counties across the country, but there are more counties that fail to meet that mark. Mississippi is also the one southern state that lacks both hills and decent beaches, so there aren’t even any vacation pockets to inject tourism dollars into the small towns.

    TL;DR most of Mississippi is similar to what you’d find in a small city/rural area elsewhere. It’s not terrible but there’s not much to make you want to go there. A few spots, mostly in the Delta, are worse off and are noticeably different from the rest of the country (closest equivalents might be certain border areas with lots of migrant workers or certain Native American reservations).

  22. The thing most people miss about Mississippi is the caste system. People tend to think of the State as racially divided, and it certainly can be. It is important to realize that over 40 percent of the population is black. Yes, most poor are black and most rich are white. However, as you peel back the layers, you begin to realize that MS has a much stronger caste system than is found in much of the US. If you are applying for a job, it generally doesn’t matter if you are the best candidate. It matters where you went to high school because that is going to inform everyone of where you fall in society. Of course, if you went to college and wanted a position of power, your degree better be from Ole Miss.

  23. It’s on the bottom of basically every list that people use to measure a place. Education, poverty, crime, etc.

  24. Alabama’s unofficial motto is “Thank God for Mississippi.” Our teachers literally would say that to our faces in elementary school. So that is telling. However I’ve only driven through it to get to Baton Rouge, so I can’t say one way or another.

    Like with my own state, lots of people on the internet have opinions and state all kinds of statistics, but if you haven’t lived it, it’s hard to say much of anything with merit. Mostly like everywhere else it’s all just people just trying to survive and (usually) trying their best. People can fart on about it on the interwebs, but *most* people in the south are pretty kind. Our so called leaders in our governments, now that’s a horse of a different color.

  25. I was in the US Navy’s Personnel School in Meridian, Mississippi back in the mid 1980s. When we went into town it felt like I had gone back the 1940s. Maybe it’s different now.

  26. Most of it just doesn’t have a lot going on. Not many high-paying jobs except in a few areas like the Memphis suburbs and the coast between New Orleans and Mobile. Brain drain is a problem as a result.

  27. Unfortunately Mississippi is governed poorly and the education system is terrible. But, the people are some of the most friendly hospitable people I’ve ever met. Great place to visit. Terrible place to live. So, telling people to avoid visiting people isn’t really good advice. They probably just mean don’t move there to live permanently.

  30. It usually ranks at the very bottom in terms of wealth, education, healthcare, HDI, and other things that matter. That’s not to say it’s all bad. Blues music came mostly from Mississippi, and it’s also the birthplace of musicians like Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, and Lester Young.

  31. Let me put it this way. Probably an okay to great place to visit. In the South you can always expect to find super friendly people, great food, and wide open spaces. Living there though, education system is generally pretty bad, bad poverty, and it’s part of the Bible Belt so not generally a great place for minorities like LGBTQ. I usually encourage people who are curious to try it out themselves and come to their own conclusion.

  32. Racism is still a big problem in the U.S. and people from regions with few minorities don’t want to live in a state with the highest percentage of African-Americans in the country. It says a lot about their bigotry and character.

  33. The best BBQ/Smoked meat I have ever ate was at a gas station in Mississippi. It was like eating a frito corn chip right off the factory line.

  34. Mississippi (with Alabama, its neighbor, usually following right behind) consistently comes at or near the bottom of most state rankings, including GDP, high school/ college graduation rates, obesity rates, income, incarceration rates, life expectancy, infrastructure/ developments rankings, among other things. It doesn’t have a very good track record from a statistical/ economic standpoint lol.

    Edit: I skimmed a few articles/ websites to confirm this info, and found that a few points did vary somewhat from site to site. What I said is generally true, though a few points, like crime, don’t seem to be quite as high as some sites report.

  35. i’m a north eastern american and i’m a bit scared of that region. never been there tho, so i could b wrong

  36. When speaking of visiting MS vs moving there, it has so much to offer. From Vicksburg to the gorgeous green rolling fields. Tupelo is great to visit, Oxford is a must. Even the shores on the Gulf of Mexico have been restored a bit since Katrina, Long Beach, Ocean Springs. It has a rough historical past, but there are gems everywhere in this state. Don’t shy away.

  37. Mississippi for a visitor can be tough is my take. I’ve driven through a few times and went there for three weeks training for a job a few years ago. Passing through most of it is pretty to look at, but also very same-same so that it gets very boring driving through. People can be friendly, warm, and wry, but the majority just seemed so burdened by the poverty and lack of options due to poor education they seemed outwardly very cold. Most tend to look pretty unfavorably on visitors from other countries as well from what I’ve observed. I wouldn’t recommend it to a first time visitor to the US partly because of this, and partly because there are so many other places with so much more to see and do.

    Edit: Least anyone think I think these people are bad, I don’t. I come from another state similarly burdened by poor education so I get it. If you can never hope to afford travel or better education it can be hard to be open-minded and welcoming obviously just due to having really no frame of reference. That won’t make it any easier on a visitor coming in from another country, though, so I’d recommend they go somewhere they’d have a better time is all.

  38. According to data on the Internet:

    Mississippi often ranks poorly on various socioeconomic and quality of life indicators compared to other U.S. states. Some of the reasons why Mississippi is often criticized include:

    1. Poverty: Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the United States, with about 19.6% of its population living below the poverty line as of 2019.

    2. Education: The state consistently ranks low in education metrics, such as high school graduation rates and standardized test scores.

    3. Health: Mississippi has high rates of obesity, diabetes, and infant mortality, as well as low rankings in overall health outcomes.

    4. Economy: The state has a relatively low median household income and high unemployment rates compared to the national average.

    5. Social issues: Mississippi has a history of racial tension and discrimination, and the state has faced criticism for its handling of civil rights issues.

    However, it’s essential to recognize that Mississippi also has positive aspects, such as:

    1. Rich cultural heritage: Mississippi is known for its significant contributions to music, literature, and the arts, particularly in the blues, jazz, and Southern Gothic genres.

    2. Natural beauty: The state has diverse landscapes, including the Mississippi River, Gulf Coast beaches, and lush forests.

    3. Southern hospitality: Mississippians are often known for their warmth, friendliness, and strong sense of community.

    While Mississippi faces challenges, it is crucial not to oversimplify or stereotype the state and its people. Like any other place, Mississippi has its strengths and weaknesses, and many residents are working to address the state’s issues and promote positive change.

  39. Despite being “poor” it has a gdp per capita of $49,911 which is higher than then UK, France, Japan and South Korea….much to their chagrin

  40. It’s the same as any other state in the country except less to do and less people. Good spots, bad spots. Good people, bad people. I grew up there and went to school there, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

  41. Incredibly impoverished, high crime rates, generally just not somewhere you’d wanna go. If you wanna go to the South as a non-American, places like Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina are generally safer bets.

  42. My family is from Mississippi. My mama said the best thing that happened to our family was leaving. There are small pockets where it’s ok but much of it is… unwelcoming. There’s a lot of sundown towns and backwards thinking.

  44. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana.

    I’ve never lived further south than Tennessee and I fucking hated it. Been to all of the places mentioned above, not a single redeeming thing about them

  45. Mississippi is the embodiment of the adage “don’t let the same people be in power too long”. They haven’t really had any leadership changes is so long, that the momentum is just to keep the status quo. Until there is a major shakeup in the makeup of the government, nothing will change.

  46. The deep south states in general get a lot of bashing from states in other regions due to them being dead last in a lot of quality of life factors where you to live there. That combined with sweltering heat + humidity and a lot of obese people due to the foods they eat contribute to the negative stereotype.
    No matter where you are ,you can find almost anything good if you look hard enough

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