A comprehensive economic impact study shows that Mississippi State makes one of the largest annual impacts of any single entity in the Magnolia State – an estimated $3.9 billion annual economic impact.
University leaders gathered at a press conference Wednesday to announce and celebrate the study’s findings.
“This report quantifies what we have long known – Mississippi State University is a core economic driver across the state of Mississippi,” MSU president Mark Keenum said. “Our world-class faculty and staff work hard every day to move Mississippi forward and educate the students and future leaders we need in our state and nation.”
The analysis, based on 2024 data, reflects remarkable growth in the institution’s economic effect since 2019, when a similar analysis showed a $1.8 billion annual impact. MSU’s National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center conducted the study.
A primary driver of MSU’s impact is the university research portfolio, which includes $320 million in research expenditures and supports 5,630 jobs across the state.
The $3.9 billion economic impact includes:
- $1.7 impact from MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
- $1.2 billion impact from MSU’s 42,000 alumni
- $653 million in wages and earnings from university employment and operations spending, as well as $74.4 million in state and local tax revenue
- $320 million in income for Mississippians from university research activity
- $41.6 million economic impact from student spending
- $24.2 million impact from visitor spending
The full report can be found here.
