America at 250: Mississippi Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Magnolia State, Birthplace of the Blues and of Elvis Presley

America at 250: Mississippi Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Magnolia State, Birthplace of the Blues and of Elvis Presley

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from the Delta blues and Elvis’s Tupelo birthplace to cotton fields, catfish farms and a pivotal civil-rights history — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Mississippi: the “Magnolia State,” a Deep South land along the great river that gave it its name. Mississippi has given the world an extraordinary cultural legacy — the blues, and with it the roots of rock and roll — even as it has grappled with poverty and a difficult racial history.

The birthplace of Elvis Presley, B.B. King and a remarkable roster of writers, Mississippi is a state of deep contradictions and deep soul. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor to the Magnolia State should keep close at hand.

How Big Is Mississippi? About 2.9 Million People Across 48,432 Square Miles

Mississippi is a mid-sized Southern state. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 2,943,045 in 2024, ranking it around 35th nationally, spread across roughly 48,432 square miles of low, fertile land between the Mississippi River and the state of Alabama.

The largest city and capital is Jackson, in the center of the state, followed by the Gulf Coast cities of Gulfport and Biloxi and the college town of Hattiesburg. The fertile Mississippi Delta in the northwest — flat, alluvial cotton country — is both the cradle of the blues and one of the most historically impoverished regions in America.

Mississippi has the highest share of Black residents of any U.S. state, a legacy of the plantation economy, and it remains a largely rural state. Its landscape ranges from the Delta and the piney woods to the beaches and casinos of the Gulf Coast, all shaped by the great river along its western border.

A Deep South History: The 20th State, Admitted in 1817

Home to the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez peoples, the Mississippi region was colonized by France, Britain and Spain before becoming U.S. territory. Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817. In the decades that followed, a cotton economy built on the labor of enslaved people made a few planters wealthy and shaped a society whose injustices would echo for generations.

Mississippi seceded in the Civil War, and the long era of Reconstruction, segregation and Jim Crow that followed made it a central and often violent battleground of the Civil Rights Movement — from the murder of Emmett Till and the assassination of Medgar Evers to Freedom Summer in 1964. That painful history, and the courage of those who fought injustice, is a defining part of the state’s story. In 2020, Mississippi retired its old state flag, which had incorporated the Confederate battle emblem.

The Economy: About $135 Billion GDP From Cotton to Catfish

Mississippi’s economy, with a GDP of roughly $135 billion, is the smaller end of the state spectrum, and the state has long ranked near the bottom nationally in median household income. Agriculture remains foundational: Mississippi is the nation’s leading producer of farm-raised catfish, along with cotton, soybeans, poultry and timber (forests cover much of the state).

Manufacturing — including a major Nissan vehicle-assembly plant near Jackson and shipbuilding at Ingalls Shipbuilding on the Gulf Coast, one of the largest employers in the state and a builder of U.S. Navy vessels — is a key sector. The Gulf Coast casino industry, health care and the energy sector round out the economy. Mississippi has worked to attract new industry while confronting persistent poverty and workforce challenges.

Schools and Universities: About 440,000 Pupils and Ole Miss

Mississippi’s public schools enroll roughly 440,000 K-12 students. Long ranked near the bottom nationally, the state has drawn national attention in recent years for the “Mississippi Miracle” — dramatic gains in early-grade reading scores following a focus on phonics and literacy, a rare bright spot that other states have studied.

In higher education, the University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”) in Oxford and Mississippi State University in Starkville are the flagship universities, and Mississippi is home to several historically Black universities — including Jackson State, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State — that have played important roles in the state’s history and culture.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 100 Hospitals

Mississippi has roughly 100 hospitals, many of them small rural and critical-access facilities serving a spread-out population. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is the state’s only academic medical center and its largest hospital, and a hub for specialty care, research and telemedicine, which is especially important given the state’s rural geography.

Mississippi faces some of the most serious public-health challenges in the country, ranking near the bottom on many health measures, and rural hospital finances and access are pressing concerns. The Mississippi State Department of Health coordinates statewide public-health services.

Getting Around: Jackson’s Airport and the Gulf Coast

Mississippi’s busiest airport is Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, named for the slain civil-rights leader, with Gulfport–Biloxi International serving the coast. The state has a network of regional and general-aviation airports across its largely rural expanse.

On the ground, Mississippi is crossed by interstates I-55 (north–south) and I-20 and I-10 (east–west, the latter along the Gulf Coast). The Mississippi River along the western border is a major shipping artery, and the state’s Gulf ports handle shipbuilding and trade.

Culture: The Birthplace of the Blues and American Literature

Mississippi’s cultural contributions are staggering for a small, rural state. The Mississippi Delta is the birthplace of the blues — the music that gave rise to rock and roll, jazz, R&B and much of modern popular music — and the state honors that legacy along the Mississippi Blues Trail, in the juke joints of Clarksdale, and at the Grammy Museum Mississippi. Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, and B.B. King and Muddy Waters came from the Delta.

Mississippi is also a giant of American literature, producing Nobel laureate William Faulkner (Oxford), Eudora Welty, Richard Wright and Tennessee Williams, among others. Add the media legacy of Oprah Winfrey (born in Kosciusko) and Jim Henson (raised in Leland, creator of the Muppets), and Mississippi’s influence on world culture far outstrips its size.

Sport and the Outdoors: 2 SEC Powers and the Great Outdoors

Mississippi has no major professional franchise, so college sports — especially the Southeastern Conference rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State — command statewide passion, from football Saturdays to the College World Series (Ole Miss and Mississippi State have both won national baseball titles). The state has produced a long line of NFL stars, including quarterback Brett Favre.

Outdoors, Mississippi offers hunting and fishing in its woods and waters, the beaches and fishing of the Gulf Coast, the Natchez Trace Parkway, and the birdwatching and wildlife of the Delta. Hunting and fishing are deeply woven into the state’s culture.

Faith and Places of Worship: Thousands of Congregations

Mississippi is one of the most religious states in the nation, sitting at the heart of the Bible Belt. The population is overwhelmingly Christian and predominantly Protestant, with Southern Baptists forming the largest group, alongside strong Methodist, Pentecostal and — especially in the Black community — historically significant Baptist and other church traditions that were central to the Civil Rights Movement.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to several thousand congregations statewide.

The Justice System: About 19,000 People Incarcerated

Mississippi has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States — and thus the world. The Mississippi Department of Corrections oversees roughly 19,000 people, and the state’s prisons, including the notorious Parchman (Mississippi State Penitentiary), have faced significant scrutiny and federal investigation over conditions and violence.

The scale and cost of incarceration, along with efforts at reform, remain prominent issues in a state that has historically imprisoned a large share of its population.

5 Mississippi Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Mississippi’s laws reflect its conservative politics and its pivotal role in recent national debates:

1. The Dobbs decision: Mississippi’s abortion law was the case (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization) in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022; the state now enforces a near-total abortion ban.

2. A new state flag: In 2020 Mississippi retired the last U.S. state flag to feature the Confederate battle emblem, adopting the new “In God We Trust” magnolia flag by popular vote.

3. Income-tax elimination: In 2025 Mississippi enacted a plan to gradually eliminate its state income tax entirely.

4. Permitless carry: Mississippi allows eligible adults to carry firearms without a permit.

5. Local alcohol option: Mississippi has a long history of local “dry” areas and strict alcohol regulation — it was the last state to end statewide Prohibition, in 1966.

Famous Mississippians: World-Changing Talent From the Magnolia State

Mississippi’s cultural output is legendary. The state gave the world the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley (born in Tupelo), and the King of the Blues, B.B. King, along with blues pioneers such as Muddy Waters and country stars like Faith Hill. Media icon Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, and Muppets creator Jim Henson grew up in the Delta town of Leland.

In literature, Mississippi produced Nobel Prize–winning novelist William Faulkner, along with Eudora Welty, Richard Wright and Tennessee Williams. In sport, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is a Mississippi native. Few states have shaped American music and letters so profoundly.

Who Runs Mississippi? Governor Tate Reeves and State Leadership

Mississippi’s executive branch is led by Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican who became the 65th governor in 2020 and won re-election in 2023. A former state treasurer and lieutenant governor, Reeves has focused on tax cuts (including the plan to eliminate the income tax), economic development and education, including celebrating the state’s literacy gains.

Mississippi’s government features several independently elected statewide officials alongside the Governor, plus appointed department heads. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Mississippi and the Office of the Governor (governorreeves.ms.gov), key members of state leadership include:

Source: State of Mississippi and the Office of the Governor (governorreeves.ms.gov). Several statewide officials are independently elected; department heads are appointed. Officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Mississippi? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Mississippi during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Mississippi Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Mississippi specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. Highway Safety Patrol: 601-987-1212. Electricity emergency: 1-800-487-3275. Gas emergency: 888-876-5786.

Consumer protection: Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection: 1-800-281-4418 and 601-359-4230. Identity theft: 1-877-438-4338. Department of Banking and Consumer Finance: 1-800-844-2499. Insurance Department: 1-800-562-2453. Secretary of State: 601-359-1334.

Support: Child abuse reporting: 1-800-422-4453. Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline: 800-656-4673. Animal protection: 601-969-1631. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Mississippi during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Mississippi’s story — of the Delta blues and Elvis’s Tupelo birthplace, of cotton fields and catfish ponds, of the courage of civil-rights heroes and the genius of its writers and musicians — is one of the most soulful and consequential chapters of the American story. As the nation marks 250 years of independence, Mississippi reminds us both how far the country has come and how much its culture owes to the Magnolia State.

To visit Mississippi is to stand at the crossroads where the blues were born and American literature flowered. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand, valuable in a state that knows hurricanes and rural distances — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department