The economy of Mississippi is on a major upswing. Total economic production rose to more than $114 billion in 2018 alone, and gross domestic product has risen every year for the past nine straight years. Since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, Mississippi’s economy has improved nearly 25% in value.
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Almost 60,000 employer firms are operational across the state of Mississippi, and about 1.2 million people are employed in a diverse mix of industries and sectors. Trade, transportation and utilities and governments account for about 2 in 5 jobs, followed by education and health services, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality.
One company on the Fortune 1,000 list of largest U.S. corporations calls Mississippi home (Sanderson Farms, No. 722), and startups in the state have drawn millions in investment over the past several years. Mississippi may not have the economic cache of other states, but all of these factors prove that our state’s economy is on the rise.
That’s what makes Mississippi an ideal location for people seeking advanced education in business analytics, such as through a Master of Business Analytics degree. Such training opens up a huge range of jobs in the growing field.
What can business analytics professionals expect to earn in Mississippi, what educational opportunities exist here, and what are some examples of real-world employers looking to add business analytics staffers to their rosters?
Business Analytics Salaries in Mississippi
In Mississippi and elsewhere, the possible job titles that exist within business analytics are basically limitless. The potential roles range from traditional business roles that might have existed decades ago, like Budget Analyst, to emerging jobs based on the expanding use of data in decision-making, like Quantitative Modeler.
SEE ALSO: Masters in Business Analytics Salary Outlook
Those are only two possible business analytics jobs. Here’s a look at some others that exist here in Mississippi:
- Market Research Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Management Consultant
- Financial Analyst
- Insights Analyst
- Marketing Engagement Analyst
- Operations Research Analyst
- Business Intelligence Specialist
- Research Executive
- Decision Engineer
To understand the landscape of business analytics employment here in Mississippi, we’ll examine data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for five specific job titles within the field, and we’ll use those five as a representative example of business analytics salaries and employment.
For each of the five business analytics jobs we studied, the median annual wage in Mississippi is lower than the median overall U.S. wage, and in some cases the difference is drastic. Still, business analytics jobs are well-paying relative to other jobs in the state considering that the overall median wage for all workers in Mississippi is just over $30,000.
Median annual wage, Mississippi vs. U.S.
| Job Title | Mississippi | U.S. |
| Budget Analyst | $61,330 | $76,220 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,030 | $85,660 |
| Management Analyst | $64,520 | $83,610 |
| Market Research Analyst | $40,080 | $63,120 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $71,500 | $83,390 |
It’s true that Mississippi does tend to lag behind the rest of the country when it comes to wages for business analytics workers, but the state generally keeps pace with its regional neighbors, particularly when the area surrounding the nation’s capital is excluded. Under those parameters, for instance, Mississippi has the South’s sixth-highest Operations Research Analyst wage.
Median annual wage, Operations Research Analyst, Southern states
| District of Columbia | $109,910 |
| Virginia | $105,270 |
| Maryland | $96,550 |
| Delaware | $85,490 |
| Alabama | $84,780 |
| North Carolina | $81,130 |
| Texas | $77,970 |
| South Carolina | $74,050 |
| Mississippi | $71,500 |
| Florida | $67,260 |
| Tennessee | $66,150 |
| Kentucky | $63,890 |
| Oklahoma | $63,090 |
| Georgia | $62,680 |
| Arkansas | $55,430 |
| Louisiana | $52,720 |
| West Virginia | $52,230 |
If wages today for business analytics experts are scaring anybody off, growth rates for these jobs might bring them back to Mississippi. Most of the jobs should see rapid growth in the coming years, and Mississippi has a top 10 long-term growth rate for Operations Research Analyst jobs.
Operations Research Analyst long-term job opening growth rate, top 10
| Arizona | 11.8% |
| Utah | 9.6% |
| South Carolina | 9.0% |
| Tennessee | 8.9% |
| North Carolina | 8.4% |
| Arkansas | 7.9% |
| Nevada | 7.7% |
| Texas | 7.7% |
| North Dakota | 7.7% |
| Mississippi | 7.7% |
The short-term growth rate for Budget Analysts in Mississippi is not available, but for every other job, healthy expansion is projected over the next couple of years and several beyond that with double-digit growth expected over the long term for two of the five jobs.
Mississippi job opening growth rate, short- and long-term
| Job Title | Short-term | Long-term |
| Budget Analyst | — | 6.7% |
| Financial Analyst | 1.8% | 4.9% |
| Management Analyst | 1.9% | 8.0% |
| Market Research Analyst | 3.4% | 19.0% |
| Operations Research Analyst | 7.7% | 27.3% |
Note: Short-term 2016-2020; long-term 2016-2026
Business analytics wages are quite variable across the state, and many job-seekers are likely to find a better salary in particular cities or metro areas. Jackson, for instance, has a higher median wage for a couple of the job titles than the state overall.
Median annual wage, Mississippi vs. select cities
| Job Title | Mississippi | Hattiesburg | Jackson |
| Budget Analyst | $61,330 | — | $54,360 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,030 | $49,500 | $82,250 |
| Management Analyst | $64,520 | $55,060 | $51,890 |
| Market Research Analyst | $40,080 | $26,380 | $42,730 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $71,500 | — | $67,190 |
Mississippi Business Analytics Degree Programs
Business education has long been solid in Mississippi, and many colleges and universities are beginning to embrace the future with education in business analytics. Students in Mississippi should have ample options for where to earn their degrees.
Here’s a look at some of the colleges and universities in Mississippi that offer degrees applicable to jobs in business analytics:
Business Analytics Degree Jobs in Mississippi
So far we’ve looked at federal data surrounding some select theoretical job titles. But a job title is only half of the equation, and finding a solid and exciting employer often is even more important. We also combed through thousands of real-life job openings to find some interesting potential employers for business analytics professionals in Mississippi:
Here are some of the employers who were looking to hire in December 2019:
- ACCO Brands
- Ironwoods Holdings
- BlueCross & BlueShield of Mississippi
- Jetfuel Agency
- Volvo Group
- Family Health Care Clinic
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Waste Management
- Canopy Children’s Solution
- S. Navy
- Atmos Energy
- Kohler Co.
- Northrop Grumman
- Coventry Group
- Boeing
- The Socium Group
- Nike
- Transportation Security Administration
- C Spire
Conclusion
Advanced training in business analytics is a wise investment, and the economic landscape here in Mississippi is such that talented people who can contribute to the success of organizations through the use of data could have a huge impact on the future of the entire state.
References
Note: Information on recent job openings was gathered from Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com in late 2019.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economy at a Glance, Mississippi. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ms.htm
Mississippi Business Journal, Mississippi Angel Fund could become go-to-place for startups. (2018.) Retrieved from https://msbusiness.com/2018/09/mississippi-angel-fund-could-become-go-to-place-for-startups/
U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System, Custom Tables. (Undated). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Mississippi. (2019). Retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSNGSP
U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, Mississippi. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MS/PST045218