NASA, Miss. State, Ingalls top list of Best Employers in Mississippi

Forbes recently released its 5th annual compilation of America’s Best Employers. See who made the cut in the Magnolia State.

On Tuesday, Forbes released its fifth annual list of America’s Best Employers By State.

“These aren’t the best large or midsize employers nationally, but a deeper look at which companies are closer-to-home options for every American worker,” the publication stated.

According to Forbes, they partnered with market research firm Statista to survey 70,000 workers at companies with a minimum of 500 employees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The firm anonymously asked participants if they would recommend their employer to others, and to evaluate their employer based on working conditions, diversity, compensation packages, potential for development, company image and more.

Forbes said the number of companies on each state’s list varied by the size of its companies and workforce. A total of 1392 organizations made at least one state list, with 269 ranking in multiple states.

In Mississippi, NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Hancock County topped the list of Best Employers in the Magnolia State, followed by the state’s leading research university – Mississippi State. Sid Salter, Vice President for Strategic Communications at Mississippi State, shared his thoughts on media as to why MSU was so high on the list.

“Forbes chose Mississippi State as the state’s No. 2 employer behind only NASA. There’s a reason – it’s our outstanding faculty and staff. They strive daily to effectively serve their fellow Mississippians and the wider world,” Salter posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The state’s other two large universities – Southern Miss and Ole Miss – came in at No. 6 and No. 13, respectively.

Coming in third on the list was Pascagoula’s Ingalls Shipyard located in Jackson County. The U.S. Navy contractor employees nearly 11,000 people and has been building the ships that protect America’s freedom for over 85 years.

Beau Rivage, an MGM Resort property, is another Coast business that made the top five best employers in the state. Located in Biloxi, the Beau features a casino, hotel, retail and entertainment venues, and restaurants.

Other Mississippi employers of note include three hospitals (Jackson-based University of Mississippi Medical Center and St. Dominic as well as Tupelo-based North Mississippi Medical Center) along with power company Entergy, regional financial institution Hancock Whitney Bank, and two school districts (DeSoto County and Rankin County).

Here’s the complete list of Best Employers in Mississippi as presented by Forbes:

1. NASA
2. Mississippi State University
3. Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding
4. MGM Resorts
5. Caterpillar
6. University of Southern Mississippi
7. University of Mississippi Medical Center
8. Nissan Motor
9. Entergy
10. DeSoto County School District
11. Target
12. U.S. Department of Defense
13. University of Mississippi
14. St. Dominic Hospital
15. North Mississippi Medical Center
16. Hancock Whitney Bank
17. Rankin County School District
18. Amazon