Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation, with women and children disproportionately harmed by poverty. Mississippi remains the state ranked worst in child wellbeing by Kids Count, and 48th out of 50 for women’s economic wellbeing, according to a 2015 Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) study.
The indicators used to make these rankings reveal deep racial disparities.
The Mississippi child poverty rate is 15 percent for white children and 47 percent for black children. Women’s overall poverty rate in Mississippi is 26.9 percent, with a 41 percent poverty rate for black women.
This is the highest in the nation, according to a recent report by the IWPR. These indicators also reveal deep gender disparities.