Overview

• Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the US, with its residents more likely to die unnecessarily than those of any other state.
• The state ranks worst for infant mortality, with Black infants nearly twice as likely as whites to die over the past decade.
• Despite lowering its opioid death rate by 10% in 2022, Mississippi still leads the nation in firearm deaths.
• Mississippi's obesity and diabetes rates have declined recently, but remain among the nation's highest, with heart disease still the state's leading cause of death.
• Mississippi is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage to people working in jobs that provide modest wages but no private health insurance.