Labor Market Pulse · Finance · September 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Jackson, MS MSA — September 2026
Jackson Finance pay splits: Analysts gain, Controllers lose ground.
Controller advertised pay fell to a $109,155 metro median against a rising $113,754 national figure, even as Financial Analyst pay climbed significantly to $87,028 — a divergence tied to shrinking Hinds County employment and falling labor force participation.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Jackson MSA unemployment rate: 3.0% — Down from 3.8% in July; state rate 3.7%
- Labor force participation: 54.7% — Down from 55.7% a year ago
- Hinds County employment growth: -1.2% YoY — Core metro county, despite 4.1% wage growth
- MS Finance & Insurance employment: 34,200 jobs — Down 0.9% YoY as of June 2026
Key takeaways
Senior finance pay is softening locally while the nation holds firm.
Controller advertised pay fell significantly in Jackson to a $109,155 median against a rising $113,754 national figure, and FP&A Manager pay dropped to $119,059 while the national median held stable. This divergence suggests metro-specific pressure — likely tied to declining Hinds County employment — rather than a sector-wide correction.
Financial Analyst pay is the one bright spot worth benchmarking closely.
Metro Financial Analyst pay rose significantly to $87,028, closing much of the gap with the stable $94,782 national median. Current conditions suggest this role is absorbing demand that Controller and FP&A Manager roles are not, possibly reflecting employers substituting analytical capacity for senior oversight headcount.
Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay gaps versus national have widened sharply.
Metro Tax Specialist pay sits at $36,835 against a national median of $65,842 — a gap that widened as national pay rose significantly this year. Mississippi's broader wage lag (second-lowest median wage growth nationally per ADP) may make these specialist roles particularly vulnerable to out-of-market recruiting and retention risk.
Declining hours and earnings in financial activities point to quiet cost control.
Average weekly hours in Mississippi financial activities dropped from 37.8 to 35.4 year-over-year, alongside a $62 monthly decline in weekly earnings. This pattern may signal employers trimming overtime and discretionary pay components ahead of headcount decisions rather than pursuing layoffs outright.
Median advertised pay by role — Jackson, MS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $98,078 | $109,155 | $119,081 | Significant decline | $113,754 |
| Senior Accountant | $72,712 | $78,251 | $83,330 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,872 | $87,028 | $95,000 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| Billing Specialist | $35,071 | $41,600 | $48,880 | Stable | $49,512 |
| Tax Specialist | $29,162 | $36,835 | $42,625 | Significant decline | $65,842 |
| Credit Analyst | $41,053 | $44,692 | $44,692 | Moderate decline | $71,758 |
| FP&A Manager * | $96,751 | $119,059 | $128,330 | Significant decline | $128,139 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Jackson MSA unemployment fell to 3% in September, even as labor force participation dropped to 54.7% from 55.7% a year earlier — a tightening that reflects shrinking labor supply as much as hiring strength. Hinds County, the metro's core, saw employment decline 1.2% year-over-year even as average weekly wages rose 4.1% to $1,228, consistent with employers paying more to retain a smaller available workforce rather than expanding headcount.
What it means
Statewide Finance and Insurance employment contracted to 34,200 jobs through June, down 0.9% year-over-year, while average weekly earnings in financial activities fell $62 month-over-month alongside a drop in average hours worked — a pattern more consistent with cost discipline and reduced overtime than with broad-based demand softness. Locally, FP&A Manager and Controller advertised pay both moved down significantly even as national medians held stable or rose, suggesting Jackson employers are recalibrating senior finance compensation independent of national trends rather than following them. Consider reviewing whether current Controller and FP&A Manager offers reflect genuine local market softening or simply a thinner, slower-moving candidate pool that could reverse once participation recovers.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Labor force participation in both Mississippi (54.4%) and the Jackson metro (54.7%) has declined year-over-year. If this continues, Finance leaders may face a shrinking local candidate pool even as unemployment reads low, making time-to-fill a bigger planning risk than pay level.
Emerging pressure point: National F&A hiring leaders report 74% plan to grow permanent headcount in the second half of 2026 against a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77%, reversing last year's surplus. Watch whether this national CPA and accountant scarcity reaches Jackson's smaller finance labor pool, particularly for Senior Accountant and Tax Specialist roles currently priced well below national medians.
Potential inflection point: Hinds County employment has declined for multiple consecutive quarters even as wages rise, an unusual combination. If job losses extend into Finance and Insurance payrolls specifically, expect further compression in Controller and FP&A Manager advertised pay rather than stabilization.
Early indicator: Mississippi's 12 WARN notices in 2026 remain manufacturing-heavy, not finance-concentrated, suggesting current Finance sector softness is pay- and hours-driven rather than headcount-reduction-driven. A shift toward finance-sector WARN activity would change this read significantly.
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.
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