Travel Nurse Pay in Mississippi (2026)
Mississippi posts the lowest RN wages in this state series — and one of its lowest income taxes, falling fast. Here are the verified BLS numbers, hedged package ranges, compact licensure details, and why stipends do more of the work here than almost anywhere.
By the NursePayLab editorial team · Updated $1
Key numbers at a glance
| Measure | Figure | What it means for travelers |
|---|---|---|
| RN employment (Mississippi) | 29,060 | Small market, high per-capita density (per BLS OEWS, May 2025) |
| Median RN wage | $77,090/yr ($37.06/hr) | Low staff baseline — bill rates float well above it |
| Mean RN wage | $78,950/yr ($37.96/hr) | Tight median-to-mean spread — a compressed market |
| Entry RN (10th pct) | $60,610/yr | Floor of the market |
Travel nurse pay in Mississippi: the numbers
Mississippi employed 29,060 registered nurses as of May 2025, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The median RN wage was $77,090/year ($37.06/hr) with a mean of $78,950 ($37.96/hr), a 10th percentile of $60,610 and a 90th percentile of $100,350 — the leanest wage structure of the ten states profiled in this batch.
The counterintuitive part is density: at about 25.0 RN jobs per 1,000, Mississippi is actually the most RN-dense state in this group (per BLS, May 2025). Small, hospital-dependent towns plus academic Jackson add up to plenty of nursing jobs — they just pay less, which is precisely the condition that makes travelers attractive: local wage structures cannot flex fast enough when someone takes leave or a unit falls short, so bill rates float above a low staff baseline. The 75th percentile at $84,500 and 90th at $100,350 bound where hospital systems will stretch; travel quotes sit above that band when demand is real.
The hedged range below reflects that structure — lower gross quotes than big-metro states, partly offset by low housing costs and a shrinking income tax. Verify live offers with your recruiter.
| Measure | Figure | What it means for travelers |
|---|---|---|
| RN employment (Mississippi) | 29,060 | Small market, high per-capita density (per BLS OEWS, May 2025) |
| Median RN wage | $77,090/yr ($37.06/hr) | Low staff baseline — bill rates float well above it |
| Mean RN wage | $78,950/yr ($37.96/hr) | Tight median-to-mean spread — a compressed market |
| Entry RN (10th pct) | $60,610/yr | Floor of the market |
| Experienced RN (75th–90th pct) | $84,500–$100,350/yr | Where staff stretch tops out; travel sits above |
| Typical travel package (hedged) | roughly $1,700–$2,400/week gross | Taxable wage + stipends; varies by specialty and season — verify with recruiters |
| State income tax (2026) | 0% on first $10,000; 4.0% above | Applies to taxable wages only, not stipends |
| Nurse Licensure Compact | Yes — member since Jan. 19, 2018 | Multistate license works; fast starts possible |
All BLS figures on this page: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release (bls.gov/oes). Wage figures are for staff registered nurses (SOC 29-1141), all industries — travel packages are quoted separately and are inherently variable. See the full list on our travel nurse pay by state hub.
How stipends change the math in Mississippi
Mississippi is a case study in why the taxable-versus-stipend split matters more than headline wages. Local GSA lodging caps run low — Jackson and the Gulf Coast are modest tables, smaller towns lower still (current caps at gsa.gov/perdiem) — so stipends here will not reach Boston numbers, and an offer that promises oversized stipends for a small Mississippi town is exceeding the GSA ceiling and exporting audit risk to you. What balances the equation is cost: housing that would swallow a stipend whole in Boston rents for a fraction of it in Tupelo or Hattiesburg, so more of the stipend survives as savings.
Illustrative math with realistic Mississippi stipends: $25/hr × 36 guaranteed hours = $900/week taxable. Subtract roughly $103 federal and $69 FICA, then only about $27 for Mississippi tax (the 4.0% rate applies above $10,000 of income, so the effective bite at traveler pay levels is roughly 3%), leaving about $701. Add $1,000 housing plus $350 M&IE — $1,350 tax-free — for a take-home near $2,050/week, about $57/hour blended, roughly $26,700 over 13 weeks. That number looks smaller than a Boston take-home until you price the duplex in Jackson. Run your actual offer through the take-home calculator and compare by blended rate before judging it.
And because stipends carry the package here, the tax-home rules carry the stipends: no duplicated expenses, no tax-free treatment. The tax home guide is the cheapest insurance you will ever read.
Mississippi income tax: 4% and falling
Under the state's 2025 tax legislation, Mississippi's individual income tax dropped to 0% on the first $10,000 of taxable income and 4.0% above it for 2026 — down from 4.4% in 2025 and 4.7% in 2024, with a scheduled path toward 3% by 2030 (per the Mississippi Department of Revenue). For a traveler earning taxable wages in-state, that is a light and shrinking state burden. Nonresidents file Mississippi returns for wages earned there; stipends remain governed by the federal rules, not state withholding. Verify your filing position with the department and a CPA who handles multistate healthcare workers.
Tax figures here are 2026 planning rates from official state sources — confirm your own filing position with the relevant state revenue department or a CPA; this page is not tax advice.
Licensure in Mississippi: compact member since 2018
Mississippi is a full member of the Nurse Licensure Compact — implemented January 19, 2018, per the NCSBN map. If you hold a multistate RN license from your compact home state, you can start a Mississippi assignment with no separate application, which is why Jackson and Gulf Coast contracts can move from offer to orientation faster than non-compact markets. If Mississippi is your home state, your Mississippi license is your multistate license — declare it as your primary state of residence. Verify current status at nursecompact.com.
Where the demand is in Mississippi
Jackson is the anchor: the University of Mississippi Medical Center is the state's only academic health science center and its deepest source of ICU, NICU, ED and L&D traveler lines. The Gulf Coast — Gulfport and Biloxi's Memorial Health System and Singing River systems — runs steady demand with a retiree-heavy census and hurricane-season risk premiums. Tupelo's North Mississippi Medical Center and Hattiesburg's Forrest Health anchor the northern and pine-belt markets, and the Delta's small hospitals use travelers to cover gaps their own benches cannot. Rates outside Jackson are lower, but so are rents — the take-home calculator, not the gross quote, is the arbiter. Compare the housing stipend versus agency housing decision city by city.
Stipend ceilings everywhere follow the federal per-diem tables for your assignment location — gsa.gov/perdiem.
FAQ
How much do travel nurses make in Mississippi?
Per BLS OEWS (May 2025), the median staff RN in Mississippi earns $77,090/year — among the lowest in the country. Travel packages typically quote $1,700–$2,400/week gross, with Jackson's UMMC and the Gulf Coast at the top — verify offers with recruiters.
Is Mississippi a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes — Mississippi has been a compact member since January 19, 2018, per NCSBN. A multistate license from your compact home state covers Mississippi assignments with no separate application.
What is Mississippi's income tax for travelers?
For 2026 the rate is 0% on the first $10,000 of taxable income and 4.0% above it, per the Mississippi Department of Revenue — down from 4.4% in 2025, with a scheduled path toward 3% by 2030.
Are stipends taxed in Mississippi?
No — stipends are tax-free when you maintain a valid tax home and duplicated living expenses. Mississippi's income tax applies only to your taxable hourly wages.
Why do stipends matter more in Mississippi than in high-wage states?
Because the staff wage base is low, a bigger share of a Mississippi package's value comes from tax-free stipends — and local GSA lodging caps are lower, so the taxable-versus-stipend split does more work here than almost anywhere.
What is a good blended rate in Mississippi?
An illustrative $2,050/week take-home over 36 hours is about $57/hour blended. That trails big-city markets on paper, but Mississippi's low rents and falling tax rate narrow the real gap — compare after tax.