Shipbuilding anchors Pascagoula as statewide labor pool shrinks.
3.5%
Jackson County unemployment
vs 4.1% national, July 2026
~54-55%
MS labor force participation
vs 61.8% national rate
52.4%
Manufacturing share of county GDP
vs 14.8% statewide
1,199,800 jobs
Mississippi nonfarm employment
Record high, August 2026
This Month's Takeaways
01
Low jobless rate masks a shrinking labor pool.
Jackson County's sub-4% unemployment looks strong against the 4.1% national rate, but Mississippi's labor force participation near 54-55% — roughly eight points below the national average — means fewer working-age residents are available to absorb new business activity without wage competition.
02
Manufacturing concentration cuts both ways for stability.
Manufacturing drives 52.4% of county GDP, more than triple the state share, giving the metro outsized exposure to shipbuilding contract cycles and energy-sector capital spending. A single major contract shift at Ingalls or Chevron would ripple through the local economy more than it would in a diversified metro.
03
Wage gains in skilled trades outpace the broader basket.
Electricians (up significantly to $69,629) and HVAC technicians (up moderately to $59,378) are seeing advertised pay climb faster than retail, warehouse, and construction labor roles, consistent with sustained demand tied to the metro's industrial and shipbuilding infrastructure base.
04
Soft retail and logistics pay may signal consumer caution.
Retail sales associate, delivery driver, and construction laborer advertised pay all moved down this month, a pattern that may suggest softer discretionary spending locally even as skilled industrial trades tighten — a divergence worth tracking for overall consumer demand signals.
Local Economic Conditions
Jackson County's unemployment rate held near 3.5% in July, well below the 4.1% national rate, as shipbuilding and energy-related manufacturing — Ingalls Shipbuilding and Chevron chief among them — continue to anchor a local economy where manufacturing accounts for 52.4% of GDP versus 14.8% statewide. Mississippi's labor force participation rate of roughly 54-55%, far below the 61.8% national figure, suggests the metro's tight jobless numbers reflect a shrinking labor pool as much as genuine economic acceleration.
Open Threads in the Data
Low unemployment paired with a thin labor force means local business expansion plans should account for a tighter available labor pool than the headline jobless rate implies, particularly for shipbuilding-adjacent and skilled trades work that underpins the metro's manufacturing base. Commerce leaders evaluating site selection or expansion incentives should weigh labor force participation trends as heavily as unemployment data, since the latter alone overstates local labor market slack. Consider reviewing regional workforce participation programs and in-migration data before assuming current conditions can absorb a significant new employer without wage pressure.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Pascagoula, MS MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$24,472 |
↓ Moderate decline |
329 |
| Retail Cashier |
$24,556 |
→ Stable |
290 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$31,485 |
↓ Moderate decline |
52 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$70,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
444 |
| Delivery Driver |
$30,011 |
↓ Significant decline |
590 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$25,139 |
↓ Significant decline |
20 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$69,629 |
↑ Significant increase |
230 |
| HVAC Technician |
$59,378 |
↑ Moderate increase |
26 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$32,335 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,656 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$36,385 |
↑ Significant increase |
87 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$26,282 |
→ Stable |
39 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$29,200 |
↑ Moderate increase |
185 |
| Registered Nurse |
$76,947 |
↑ Significant increase |
434 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$35,815 |
↑ Moderate increase |
66 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$152,955 |
↑ Significant increase |
666 |
| Data Engineer |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$62,945 |
↑ Significant increase |
24 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
| Marketing Specialist |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
| Business Analyst |
$77,804 |
↓ Moderate decline |
454 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$69,990 |
↑ Significant increase |
23 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$49,066 |
→ Stable |
522 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$80,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
181 |
Industry Snapshot · Pascagoula, MS MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↓ −11.0% |
↑ +112.1% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +58.9% |
↑ +361.4% |
| Retail Trade |
→ +0.5% |
↑ +79.2% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +5.3% |
↑ +206.6% |
| Information |
↓ −19.6% |
↑ +225.0% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +6.3% |
↑ +182.6% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +5.9% |
↑ +75.4% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +53.3% |
↑ +42.7% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −13.5% |
↑ +110.5% |
| Government |
↑ +88.9% |
↑ +1113.2% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Mississippi's September unemployment rate of 3.7% reversed part of August's drop to 3.4%, the lowest since September 2024. Watch whether October data confirm a genuine cooling or a one-month statistical blip tied to the record 1,199,800 statewide nonfarm employment figure.
Emerging pressure point
National WARN filings this year have run below 2025 levels, but manufacturing remains the single largest category of Mississippi notices (8 of 12 filings, 596 workers). Any contract disruption affecting Gulf Coast shipbuilding or energy capital projects would be the metro-specific signal to track first.
Early indicator
National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation, eroding real purchasing power for the first time in two years. Local wage-vs-CPI tracking over the next two months will clarify whether Pascagoula's skilled-trade wage gains are enough to offset this broader erosion for area consumers.
Potential inflection point
Governor Reeves' Hitachi Energy investment announcement signals continued state-level interest in energy and manufacturing capacity. Commerce leaders should watch for any site-selection or supplier-network spillover into the Jackson County industrial base over the next quarter.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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