Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Pascagoula, MS MSA — October 2026
Pascagoula finance pay diverges sharply from national trend.
Controller pay fell to a metro median of $89,508 while the national figure climbed to $115,420, even as Mississippi's labor force participation dropped to 54.7% — its lowest since April 2024.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Jackson County unemployment: 3.5% — Down 0.6 pts vs. July 2025
- MS labor force participation: 54.7% — Lowest since April 2024; 2nd-lowest nationally
- Controller pay gap: $89,508 vs $115,420 — Metro vs. national median, $26K gap
- MS Finance sector weekly wage: $1,019 — Down 1.1% YoY vs. 5.1% national finance wage growth
Key takeaways
Controller pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro advertised Controller pay dropped significantly to $89,508 even as the national median climbed to $115,420, a $26,000 gap that may signal employers aren't competing on cash comp for this role. Organizations budgeting for controller searches should expect candidates to benchmark against national postings.
Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst pay are moving up locally.
Senior Accountant rose to $79,192 and Financial Analyst jumped significantly to $69,365 in the metro, even as national medians held stable. This divergence suggests local employers are repricing mid-level finance talent faster than the broader market — likely a response to shipbuilding-driven competition for general skilled labor pulling from the same regional workforce.
Tax Specialist pay gap signals a specialized talent shortfall.
Metro Tax Specialist pay fell moderately to $33,606 while the national median rose significantly to $69,556 — a more than two-to-one gap. Current conditions suggest this role may be underpriced relative to the skill required, creating retention risk during close and filing cycles.
A shrinking labor force is tightening the market.
Mississippi's labor force participation rate of 54.7% is the lowest since April 2024, even as unemployment stays low at 3.3% statewide and 3.5% in Jackson County. Finance leaders should treat this as a structural supply constraint on headcount planning that will persist without a cyclical self-correction.
Median advertised pay by role — Pascagoula, MS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $82,440 | $89,508 | $89,508 | Significant decline | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant * | $73,426 | $79,192 | $90,579 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $65,095 | $69,365 | $71,227 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $32,367 | $40,234 | $41,646 | Significant increase | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $29,228 | $33,606 | $39,528 | Moderate decline | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $41,677 | $53,234 | $61,839 | Moderate decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $96,751 | $119,209 | $128,330 | Significant decline | $130,000 |
* 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 County's unemployment rate sits at 3.5%, down from a year prior, while Mississippi's statewide labor force participation has fallen to 54.7% — its lowest point since April 2024 — signaling a shrinking talent pool. Ingalls Shipbuilding and Bollinger's regional yards continue absorbing skilled trades capacity, including pipe welders earning $35-$40/hour plus overtime, which pulls general labor market attention and wage pressure toward manufacturing and away from back-office finance roles.
What it means
Metro finance role pay is diverging sharply from national trends — Controller advertised pay is down significantly to $89,508 against a rising $115,420 national median, and FP&A Manager pay has fallen to $119,209 locally while climbing nationally to $130,000 — a gap consistent with a thin local finance talent pool and employers pulling back on posted rates. With CFO turnover nationally projected at 18.3% and 85% of CFOs reporting finance talent shortages, Pascagoula employers risk losing senior finance talent to remote or regional opportunities offering national-level pay. Consider reviewing whether current Controller and FP&A Manager offers reflect a shrinking local labor force or simply lag national repricing, particularly ahead of 2027 budget cycles.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: FP&A Manager and Controller advertised pay are both down significantly locally while rising nationally — watch whether this gap widens further as 2027 budget planning accelerates hiring for these roles.
Worth watching: Mississippi Finance & Insurance sector wages fell 1.1% year-over-year to $1,019 weekly even as national financial-role wages rose 5.1%, a divergence that may pressure retention of specialized finance staff ahead of year-end close.
Early indicator: Shipbuilding and skilled trades wage competition in Pascagoula — pipe welders earning $35-$40/hour — may continue pulling general labor market attention away from office and finance roles, compressing the candidate pool for entry-level finance positions.
Potential inflection point: National data shows 70% of finance and accounting leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026; watch whether Pascagoula employers follow given local Controller and FP&A pay softness, which could signal a shift toward interim staffing for senior finance roles.
Sources
- USA Facts / Bureau of Labor Statistics — Jackson County unemployment rate and year-over-year change
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Mississippi labor force participation rate decline
- Alliance Mechanical Solutions — Pipe welder advertised pay range in Pascagoula shipbuilding
- Crist|Kolder / MAVI — CFO turnover and finance talent shortage figures
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Mississippi Finance & Insurance sector wage decline vs national finance wage growth
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Mississippi labor force participation ranking among states
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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