Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Jackson, MS MSA — October 2026
Jackson wages climb and jobless rate falls, but fewer residents are working.
Jackson MSA unemployment sits at 3% and average weekly earnings rose 6.1% year-over-year to $1,056.44, even as Mississippi's labor force participation rate fell to 54.7%, the second-lowest in the nation.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Jackson MSA unemployment rate: 3.0% — Sept. 2026, down year-over-year
- Jackson average weekly earnings: $1,056.44 — Up 6.1% YoY from $995.73 in June 2025
- Mississippi labor force participation: 54.7% — Down from 55.7% a year prior; 2nd-lowest in U.S.
- Jackson leisure/hospitality employment growth: +6.3% — Year-over-year, Q1 2026, metro's strongest sector
Key takeaways
Jackson's low jobless rate tells half the story.
A 3% unemployment rate ranks among the best nationally, but it coincides with a statewide participation rate near historic lows. Economic development messaging built solely on unemployment risks overstating the metro's available workforce.
Wage growth here is outrunning the state and the nation.
Jackson's 6.1% year-over-year rise in average weekly earnings beats Mississippi's broader wage trends and the national 1.5% median earnings gain, suggesting the metro has momentum of its own beyond statewide trends. Commerce leaders can point to this as a distinct local data point in investment pitches, separate from Mississippi's weaker overall wage ranking.
Leisure and hospitality is carrying the metro's hiring signal.
Sector employment grew 6.3% year-over-year, the clearest sign of expansion in the local basket while information and financial activities posted modest declines. A single sector driving growth narrows the base of the metro's momentum story and warrants watching for signs of broadening.
State-level participation data deserves metro-level scrutiny.
Mississippi's labor force participation rate of 54.7% is the second-lowest in the country, and Hinds County's own labor force figures have shown fluctuation through the year. Commerce groups assessing Jackson's talent pipeline should treat county-level participation as a figure as decision-relevant as the state average.
Median advertised pay by role — Jackson, MS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,265 | $26,712 | $30,533 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,320 | $24,909 | $27,040 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,120 | $34,320 | $36,400 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,510 | $80,321 | $90,000 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $24,341 | $28,621 | $36,300 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $27,607 | $35,284 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $55,997 | $70,720 | $78,000 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $29,120 | $35,240 | $38,480 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,200 | $35,755 | $42,025 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $25,078 | $27,040 | $28,062 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $27,019 | $32,240 | $34,320 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $30,848 | $37,500 | $40,902 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $51,124 | $64,719 | $70,104 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $76,143 | $89,476 | $99,302 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $133,456 | $161,121 | $172,535 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $98,829 | $121,535 | $137,285 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $50,270 | $63,861 | $68,816 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $63,155 | $87,028 | $97,849 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $38,821 | $47,787 | $51,054 | Stable | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $69,856 | $83,293 | $84,394 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $68,896 | $68,896 | $68,896 | Significant decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $24,050 | $48,169 | $54,437 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,774 | $90,000 | $130,935 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $50,276 | $50,276 | $50,276 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $64,425 | $76,498 | $90,251 | Moderate decline | $98,302 |
* 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 | $65,923 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $83,200 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $35,781 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $70,382 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $137,620 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $64,160 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $64,960 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $49,841 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $28,904 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $62,397 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Jackson MSA unemployment held at 3% in September, down year-over-year and among the lowest readings of any metro its size, while total nonfarm employment reached 301,300 in July, up 0.8% from a year earlier on continued strength in leisure and hospitality (up 6.3% year-over-year). Average weekly earnings for private employees climbed to $1,056.44 in June, a 6.1% annual gain that outpaces both the state's median wage growth and the national 1.5% rise in median weekly earnings, even as Mississippi's labor force participation rate sits at a near-record low of 54.7%.
What it means
Low unemployment paired with shrinking labor force participation signals a metro economy where the supply of available workers is the binding constraint on expansion plans. Commerce and economic development leaders evaluating site selection, retail buildout, or workforce-dependent investment should weigh labor supply alongside demand data, since Jackson's favorable jobless rate masks a smaller pool of residents actively seeking work than a year ago. Current conditions suggest reviewing labor force participation trends alongside unemployment figures when assessing the metro's capacity to absorb new investment.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Mississippi Development Authority's leadership transition following Director Bill Cork's departure comes as the state tracks a $65 billion data-center investment pipeline. Watch whether incoming leadership maintains continuity on active deals touching the Jackson metro.
Early indicator: Statewide job ad volume, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), has been flat to declining in retail and logistics roles even as healthcare demand holds steady. A continued skew toward healthcare ads would reinforce the sector's role as the metro's most consistent demand driver.
Emerging pressure point: Mississippi's labor force participation rate has fallen for four consecutive quarters, now at its lowest since April 2024. Sustained decline would increasingly constrain any Jackson-area expansion that depends on local labor supply over relocated talent.
Potential inflection point: University Research Center forecasts near-zero to slightly negative annual employment change for Mississippi through 2030. Jackson's current outperformance of that statewide trajectory is worth tracking against upcoming quarterly releases to see if the gap holds or narrows.
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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