Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Hattiesburg, MS MSA — September 2026
Hattiesburg's service sector carries growth as goods-producing jobs slip.
Hattiesburg nonfarm employment rose 1.2% over the year even as goods-producing jobs fell to 7,300, while Mississippi's 54.4% labor force participation rate — far below the 62.2% national figure — signals a structural limit on how much growth the metro can absorb.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro nonfarm job growth: +1.2% YoY — 800 jobs added; service sector drove gains
- Goods-producing employment: 7,300 jobs — Down 200 YoY, diverging from service growth
- MS labor force participation: 54.4% — vs 62.2% U.S. rate
- Hattiesburg MSA unemployment: 3.6% — June 2026, most recent metro data available
Key takeaways
Service jobs are carrying the metro; goods-producing output is not.
Service-providing employment rose 1.7% annually while goods-producing jobs fell to 7,300, a decline of 200 positions year-over-year. Any read on local economic momentum should separate these two trend lines rather than treat total nonfarm growth as uniform across sectors.
Participation, not unemployment, is the number that matters most.
Mississippi's 54.4% labor force participation rate sits nearly eight points below the national 62.2% figure, even as the state's 3.7% jobless rate now matches the U.S. average. A low unemployment rate paired with low participation is consistent with workforce exit rather than full employment, limiting how much new investment the region can staff without in-migration.
Metro pay trends mirror a broader bifurcation along skill and sector lines.
Hattiesburg figures show HVAC Technician and Financial Analyst advertised pay rising significantly while Electrician, Accountant, and Teacher pay moved down significantly — a split that echoes the national divergence between hands-on trades and white-collar administrative roles. That pattern is useful context for understanding which parts of the local business base are expanding versus contracting.
Manufacturing softness locally tracks a statewide layoff pattern.
Mississippi's 12 WARN notices in 2026 were led by manufacturing (8 notices, 596 workers), and Hattiesburg's own goods-producing employment decline fits that statewide signal. Commerce leaders evaluating industrial recruitment should weigh this against the Hitachi Energy investment announcement, which points to selective rather than broad-based manufacturing strength.
Median advertised pay by role — Hattiesburg, MS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $20,898 | $25,505 | $28,867 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $20,800 | $23,662 | $26,000 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $24,023 | $30,721 | $34,107 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $59,851 | $80,069 | $83,265 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $28,571 | $36,400 | $36,400 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $34,320 | $34,320 | $35,360 | Moderate increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $51,397 | $53,677 | $57,200 | Significant decline | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,420 | $30,420 | $30,420 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,240 | $35,231 | $39,751 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $24,960 | $26,185 | $36,712 | Stable | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $26,562 | $30,160 | $32,240 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $27,030 | $31,200 | $35,360 | Significant decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $45,195 | $60,281 | $71,162 | Significant increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $66,461 | $80,118 | $88,477 | Stable | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer * | $107,278 | $152,955 | $164,803 | Significant increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $85,044 | $118,965 | $134,766 | Moderate decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $50,566 | $54,500 | $59,404 | Significant decline | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst * | $63,605 | $81,928 | $88,464 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $70,357 | $80,845 | $80,845 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $40,901 | $56,684 | $75,516 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $68,896 | $68,896 | $68,896 | Stable | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $20,800 | $28,063 | $43,788 | Significant decline | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $60,000 | $80,000 | $80,701 | Stable | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $65,413 | $65,413 | $65,413 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $65,022 | $77,804 | $87,103 | Moderate decline | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $63,335 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $44,720 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,748 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $57,970 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $85,993 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $36,538 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $48,330 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $58,240 | Significant decline | Stable |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $28,080 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $62,571 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Hattiesburg MSA nonfarm employment grew 300 jobs month-over-month and 800 jobs annually (1.2%) through July 2026, with service-providing sectors driving nearly all of that gain while goods-producing employment slipped 200 jobs year-over-year to 7,300 — a divergence consistent with national patterns favoring health care and construction over manufacturing. Mississippi's statewide labor force participation rate of 54.4%, well below the 62.2% national rate, points to a structural supply constraint that likely shapes Hattiesburg's own absorptive capacity even as the metro unemployment rate held at a comparatively tight 3.6% in June.
What it means
Service-sector momentum alongside goods-producing softness suggests Hattiesburg's near-term growth capacity depends more on consumer-facing and health care activity than on manufacturing expansion, a distinction relevant to site-selection and investment-promotion conversations. Persistent labor force participation gaps mean population and workforce inflows — not just job creation — may be the binding constraint on how much new investment the metro can realistically absorb. Current conditions suggest local economic development messaging may benefit from pairing any new-employer announcements with workforce participation data, not unemployment rate alone.
Looking ahead
Data gap to resolve: BLS metro-level unemployment data for Hattiesburg lags national and state releases by roughly two months; the June reading of 3.6% is the most current available. Watch for the delayed July-August metro release, which will clarify whether the national September payroll slowdown reached this market.
Emerging pressure point: National wage growth has slipped to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation, the weakest real-wage picture since 2021. Whether Hattiesburg's largely stable advertised-pay figures hold or soften in the next data cycle will indicate whether local purchasing power is following the national trend or remaining insulated.
Worth watching: Mississippi's record August nonfarm employment of 1,199,800 jobs coincided with the Hitachi Energy investment announcement; any follow-through on site location or supplier activity in the Hattiesburg area would be a concrete test of whether that momentum extends beyond the Jackson metro.
Potential inflection point: National WARN filings show elevated activity among large employers (Amazon, Meta, Tyson Foods) even as overall layoff counts trend below 2025 levels. Local economic development offices should monitor whether any announced national restructuring touches regional distribution or logistics operations tied to Hattiesburg's transportation corridor.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.