Earlier today the U.S. Census American Communities Survey poverty data was updated to include data for 2012. The data revealed some grim news for Mississippi families. Poverty in Mississippi is increasing. In 2007 one in five Mississippians lived in poverty… (read more)
Income & Working Families
While working hard, many of Mississippi’s families fall short of economic security. According to an analysis of data from the U.S. Census, approximately 42% of Mississippi’s working families are low-income and 22% of residents live in poverty. The resources below examine ways to improve the economic opportunities of Mississippi’s working families through work supports, job training, and higher education.
Featured Reports & Facts Sheets
A piece of legislation moving through the Mississippi House would set aside $10 million in public tax revenue for funding private school tuition. The $10 million for private school subsidies would be supported by tax credits to individuals or businesses… (read more)
Developmental education courses offer a route to college-readiness for over 22,000 of community college students across Mississippi each year. However, taking developmental education courses requires additional time and financial resources from students, and as a result, students in remedial courses… (read more)
All Reports & Facts Sheets
Despite working hard, many families in Mississippi are finding it more and more difficult to climb the economic ladder and there is a clear racial/ethnic divide that has emerged within the world of low-income working families. A new study by… (read more)
New MEPC Director, Dr. Corey Wiggins, was recently quoted in an article from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on July 22, 2014. The story is below:
Despite making gains in health and education, Mississippi fell back into the bottom spot… (read more)
Since 2008, Mississippi has cut funding for higher education by approximately 25 percent when adjusted for inflation. These cuts have caused tuition at Mississippi’s college and universities to rise at a time when the state’s economy needs more skilled workers.… (read more)
At the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, we advocate for public structure that creates opportunities for individuals and families to move up the economic ladder. Over the next year, MEPC will be digging deeper on a number of its issues to… (read more)
The 2009’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) temporary boost in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) benefits expires today. This means that the more than 47 million Americans, including 664,000 Mississippians, who rely on SNAP… (read more)
