(Washington Insider Magazine) -Over the past several years, the Magnolia State has gained a distinction for being one of the United States’s poorest and most dangerous states in the union. A recent analysis from prescription management service NiceRx discovered that this continues to be the case in 2021. However, they discovered another surprising reality. Mississippi also ranks among the best states for mental health and wellbeing.
NiceRx completed the analysis by looking at data from the CDC, the World Population Review, and Date USA. Then, they recorded key statistics, including life expectancy, average income, homicide rate, poverty rates, and mental illness rates. The study found that Mississippi was last among every category except for mental health. There, it ranked within the top ten states, coming in at number nine.
In contrast to their high mental health rates, Mississippi had the lowest safety score in the nation with a life expectancy of 74.6 years and a homicide rate of 15.4 per 100,000 people, the highest in the country. In addition, they had the worst poverty rate out of all fifty states at 20.3% and their mean household income was the lowest, $62,835. Coming in behind Mississippi were West Virginia, at an average household income of $63,680, and Arkansas at $66,557.
In October, NiceRx found that Mississippi also has the highest percentage of adult citizens who admit to foregoing health care due to costs. Nearly 20% of Mississippi citizens have done so.
Mississippi was not alone at the bottom of the rankings though. Louisiana performed similarly, barely scoring higher than Mississippi in most. Like the Magnolia State, Louisiana’s poverty rate is right at 20% and it has a homicide rate of 14.7 murders per 100,000 people. Fortunately for the people of Louisiana, the average household income was quite a bit better, at $71,000.
On the other side of the chart, Hawaii ranks among the happiest states in the country, with few serious mental illnesses and one of the longest life expectancies in the US, 81 years. Connecticut and New Jersey score similarly, with low poverty rates, high life expectancies, and high average salaries.
You can see NiceRx’s research for yourself at this link.
