Truck Driver Pay in Mississippi (2026)

Key numbers at a glance

Truck driver pay in Mississippi: the numbers

Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, May 2025 release. Mississippi employs about 24,160 of them — and that is roughly 20.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the state, the highest trucking intensity among these ten state pages and far above the national norm. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours.

The shape of this market: a low floor ($35,710 at the 10th percentile, the lowest entry point of these ten states), a median that trails the mean by over $4,000 — meaning a long tail of modest local and agricultural jobs pulls the typical wage down while a smaller group of long-haul and specialized drivers earns up — and a genuinely wide spread: the 90th percentile at $79,550 is more than twice the 10th. For drivers willing to stay out, the upper half of this market pays well against Mississippi's cost of living, which runs among the lowest in the country. BLS does not track CPM; Southeastern OTR roles commonly advertise roughly $0.52–$0.72/mile — confirm with carriers.

How miles and freight shape pay in Mississippi

Mississippi is a pass-through state with an industrial fringe. I-55 runs Memphis to New Orleans through Jackson, I-20 crosses Dallas–Jackson–Atlanta, and I-10 stitches the Gulf Coast — so a large share of "Mississippi freight" is through-traffic driven by Mississippi drivers, which is exactly why the employment-per-1,000 ratio is so high: the state's trucking economy is built on long-haul for-hire carriage rather than local distribution. The home-grown freight is heavy industry: container and breakbulk cargo through the state-owned Port of Gulfport; timber, paper and lumber across the pine belt; poultry processing in the hill country around the U.S. 45 corridor; and petrochemical and refining traffic around Pascagoula and the Mississippi River industrial corridor.

Structurally, expect mostly OTR and long-regional work: van and reefer runs to Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis and Florida, flatbed lumber and steel work across the Southeast, and tanker/hazmat niches around the refineries that pay above the van market. Local jobs exist — beverage, food service and building materials around Jackson and the coast — but the market is thin enough that most drivers earn their living over the road, home every week or two. Owner-operators domiciled here enjoy cheap operating costs; run every lane through the load profit calculator, and on long Southeastern legs make sure the fuel surcharge is pegged to a real diesel index. Compare states on the truck driver pay by state hub.

The tax angle in Mississippi

Mississippi is in the middle of a legislated income tax phase-out. For 2026 the rate is a flat 4.0% on taxable income above $10,000 ($20,000 for joint filers) under the Build Up Mississippi Act of 2025, with scheduled cuts continuing toward elimination by 2030 if revenue triggers hold. On a $55,910 mean wage that is roughly $1,850 to the state. Combined with the state's low cost of living, a driver in the upper half of the wage table keeps more of their gross than raw pay rankings suggest. Owner-operators get the same phase-down through the business — layer on the trucking tax deductions. Verify current rates with the Mississippi Department of Revenue.