Moving to Mississippi: Costs, Routes & What to Know

Mississippi at a glance

Mississippi is the nation's 35th most populous state at roughly 2.95 million residents, anchored by the Jackson metro area (606,200 people) in the center of the state, with the Gulfport-Biloxi metro (426,800) forming a distinct Gulf Coast population center and Hattiesburg (156,600) serving the Pine Belt region to the south. Mississippi still levies a flat individual income tax — 4.0% as of January 1, 2026 — but the state is in year two of a multiyear phase-down toward eventual elimination under 2025's Build-Up Mississippi Act, with the rate scheduled to keep falling annually through 2030 and then further via revenue-triggered cuts after that. Mississippi's biggest draw for movers is arguably cost: it consistently ranks among the one or two cheapest states to live in nationally, a pull for people priced out of costlier states, even as its own long-term population growth has stayed modest and its Gulf Coast counties carry real hurricane exposure that shapes local moving-season planning.

Population

2,954,160

July 1, 2025

State income tax

Yes

Major metros

Jackson MSA (606,200), Gulfport-Biloxi MSA (426,800), Hattiesburg MSA (156,600) — 2024 USAFacts/Census Bureau metro-area estimates

flat individual income tax, currently 4.0% (2026), scheduled to keep falling under a legislated phase-down (see below). Tax Foundation — 2026 State Tax Changes

Who is moving in and out

Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year data (2024, via USAFacts) shows Mississippi posted net positive domestic migration of about +10,100 people — 65,400 people moved in from other states against 55,300 who left, a ranking of 15th-best nationally. That's a meaningful reversal of Mississippi's longstanding reputation as a population-losing state. Texas is simultaneously the top source of new Mississippi residents and the top destination for people leaving, reflecting Texas's sheer size and proximity more than a one-way pull; Tennessee and Alabama round out the top three in both directions. A separate, moving-company-specific data source (U-Haul's 2024 migration trends) ranked Mississippi only 39th nationally for net inbound trailer traffic — a reminder that Census-based ACS flows and mover-specific booking data can disagree, so both are shown here rather than picking one.

Inbound

65,400

Outbound

55,300

Net domestic

+10,100

Data year: 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates

USAFacts explicitly labels its Mississippi figures as ACS 5-year (not 1-year) data, more clearly documented here than in some other state pulls. A second, non-Census data source — U-Haul's do-it-yourself migration trends, cited via a Yahoo News summary — ranks Mississippi 39th-41st nationally for 2024/2025 net migration using truck-rental booking volume rather than Census survey data; that ranking is directionally less positive than the ACS net-inbound figure above. Both are shown rather than reconciled, since they measure different things (survey-reported residency change vs. rental-truck bookings) and neither invalidates the other.

Typical moving costs

These figures are national moving-industry planning ranges scaled by home size, not Mississippi-specific pricing — cost data at that level of granularity isn't reliably published for any single state. They use the same underlying benchmarks as MoverQuoteEngine's own moving cost calculator: an hourly local-move rate and a per-pound long-distance rate, scaled by the typical crew time and shipment weight for each home size. A genuinely Mississippi-specific range would need to be derived from this state's own priced move corridors, once enough live route pages exist to support that — not attempted in this pass (see `upgrade_note` below).

Mississippi carries a cost-of-living index of 87.3 against a 100 national baseline — the 49th-highest (i.e., 2nd-cheapest) of all 50 states, ahead of only Oklahoma — per the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's composite index. That's a general cost-of-living measure, not a moving-labor-specific rate index (no state-specific mover-labor rate index was separately found in this pass), but it's a reasonable signal that actual local-mover quotes in Mississippi tend to run toward the low end of the national ranges above rather than the high end. Missouri Economic Research and Information Center Cost of Living Data Series, via World Population Review

For a number tailored to your actual move, use the moving cost calculator.

Once this state has enough live `/moving-from-{city}-us-to-{city}-us` route pages, replace this national-benchmark table with a state-specific range derived from those priced corridors — the same approach movingcostadvisor.com uses. Not done here because the route inventory wasn't available to this research pass.

New-resident deadlines

Housing, season and licensing

Housing snapshot

HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in the Jackson metro area is $1,288/month for FY2026 — meaningfully above the FY2026 statewide 2-bedroom average of $924/month, which independent analysis of HUD's own published FMR dataset ranks as the lowest statewide 2-bedroom FMR average in the country. HUD Fair Market Rents dataset; figures via PlainRent — Mississippi FY2026 Fair Market Rent, a third-party aggregator of HUD's published FMR data (not independently re-derived from HUD's raw file in this pass).

Peak moving season

Beyond the generic national summer moving peak, Mississippi's Gulf Coast counties (home to the Gulfport-Biloxi metro) carry real, distinct exposure to the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs June 1 through November 30. Moving-industry guidance specifically flags coastal Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama as "exceptionally vulnerable to rapid storm intensification and massive storm surges," and recommends keeping move dates flexible, confirming a mover's storm-related cancellation/rescheduling policy, and verifying that moving insurance explicitly covers wind and water damage in transit before booking a coastal move during these months. PODS — Moving During Hurricane Season

Mover licensing

Yes. In addition to the federal FMCSA operating authority (USDOT/MC number) required for interstate hauls, Mississippi requires its own intrastate authority for household-goods movers: a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN), issued through the Mississippi Department of Transportation's motor carrier certification process, is required to operate as a common carrier of household goods within the state — a category Mississippi Code Title 77, Chapter 7 defines and regulates separately from general-freight carriers. MDOT's own general-freight operating-authority guidance explicitly excludes household goods from that separate registration track, confirming household-goods movers go through the distinct CCN process rather than the general-freight one. Confirm a mover's Mississippi CCN before booking an in-state move. Mississippi Code Title 77, Chapter 7 — Motor Carriers, via Justia; Mississippi DOT — General Freight Operating Authority Guidelines (PDF); corroborated via local.yahoo.com — Mississippi Moving Company Licensing and Regulations

Common in-state corridors

• Jackson → Gulfport-Biloxi — ~160 miles, the state's capital-region-to-Gulf-Coast corridor
• Jackson → Hattiesburg — ~90 miles, capital region to the Pine Belt
• Jackson → Southaven/DeSoto County — ~180 miles, capital region to the Memphis-adjacent north

Popular routes

Live city-pair route pages touching Mississippi will appear here as they publish.

Partner-state lists come from Census migration flows. Linked corridors above are live published route pages, not guessed slugs.

Mississippi city guides

No live Mississippi city guide is published yet — more cities coming soon.

Coming soon: Jackson, Gulfport-Biloxi, Hattiesburg.

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi have a state income tax, and is it being phased out?

Yes, for now — a flat 4.0% rate as of January 1, 2026, down from 4.4% in 2025. Under 2025's Build-Up Mississippi Act, the rate is scheduled to keep falling annually: 3.75% in 2027, 3.5% in 2028, 3.25% in 2029, and 3.0% in 2030. After 2030, further cuts toward zero depend on the state hitting specific revenue-growth-over-spending triggers rather than a fixed calendar, so a full elimination date isn't locked in.

Do movers need a special license for in-state moves in Mississippi?

Yes. Movers operating as common carriers of household goods within Mississippi need a state Certificate of Convenience and Necessity issued through the Mississippi Department of Transportation, on top of the federal FMCSA authority that covers interstate moves. It's worth confirming a mover holds this before booking a purely in-state move.

When is the busiest moving season in Mississippi, and does hurricane season change that on the Gulf Coast?

Summer is the general peak statewide, as in most of the country. On the Gulf Coast specifically, the June 1–November 30 hurricane season adds a real planning wrinkle rather than a demand spike — movers there are advised to keep dates flexible and confirm storm-cancellation and wind/water-damage coverage rather than lock in a fixed date deep into storm season.

Should I worry about hurricanes if I'm moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast?

It's worth planning around, not avoiding altogether. Coastal Mississippi is specifically flagged by moving-industry guidance as vulnerable to rapid storm intensification and storm surge, so a move scheduled June through November should build in schedule flexibility and verified transit insurance rather than assume a fixed delivery date will hold.

How much does it cost to move within Mississippi — for example, Jackson to Hattiesburg or Gulfport-Biloxi?

There's no separate in-state corridor pricing yet for either route — use the local-move rows in the cost table above as a starting range, or the moving cost calculator for a number based on your actual home size and distance.

What's rent like in the Jackson metro area right now?

HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in the Jackson metro is $1,288/month for FY2026 — above the statewide FY2026 average of $924/month, which itself ranks as the lowest statewide 2-bedroom FMR average of any US state.

Is Mississippi really one of the cheapest states to live in?

By one widely-used measure, close to the cheapest: Mississippi's overall cost-of-living index (87.3 against a 100 national baseline) ranks 49th of 50 states, behind only Oklahoma. That's a general cost-of-living figure rather than a moving-industry-specific rate, but it's a reasonable signal that local moving quotes in Mississippi run toward the low end of national ranges.

Are there MoverQuoteEngine city guides for Jackson, Gulfport-Biloxi, or Hattiesburg yet?

Not yet — Mississippi currently has zero live MoverQuoteEngine city guides. All three metros are marked "coming soon" above and will link out once those guides publish.