Mississippi produces more than half of the country's farm-raised catfish, and is also a top producer of sweet potatoes, cotton and pulpwood. Top industries in Mississippi today are agriculture and forestry. states in religiosity and among the lowest in measures of health, education, development, and income. Mississippi ranks among the highest of U.S. Mississippi became the site of many prominent events during the civil rights movement, including the Ole Miss riot of 1962, the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers, and the 1964 Freedom Summer murders. From the end of the Civil War to the 1960s, Mississippi was dominated by socially conservative and segregationist Democrats dedicated to upholding white supremacy. Following the Civil War, it was restored to the Union on February 23, 1870.

Mississippi declared its secession from the Union on January 9, 1861, and was one of the seven original Confederate States, which constituted the largest slaveholding states in the nation.

By 1860, Mississippi was the nation's top cotton-producing state and slaves accounted for 55% of the state population. On December 10, 1817, Mississippi became the 20th state admitted to the Union. Greater Jackson is the state's most populous metropolitan area, with a population of 591,978 in 2020. Jackson is both the state's capital and largest city. states and has the lowest per-capita income in the United States.

Mississippi is the 32nd largest by area and 35th-most populous of the 50 U.S. Mississippi's western boundary is largely defined by the Mississippi River, or its historical course. Mississippi ( / ˌ m ɪ s ɪ ˈ s ɪ p i/ ⓘ) is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee to the east by Alabama to the south by the Gulf of Mexico to the southwest by Louisiana and to the northwest by Arkansas.

Mississippi state tax gambling winnings