According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical and health services managers in Mississippi in 2020 could expect a median salary of $87,960 per year. In the top ten percent of the profession, those with the most experience and responsibility, $158,980 was a more typical salary.
Mississippi has a lot of challenges for those administrators to deal with. In October of 2018, Mississippi Today reported that the bankruptcy of Curae Health, a Tennessee-based non-profit health system managing hospitals in three different Mississippi communities, threatened to shut down local medical services for more than 23,000 people. By 2019 the BLS reported the state was home to 150 hospitals employing a total of 62,503 people.
Older, poorer, sicker patients combined with low reimbursement rates and rising staffing costs have made staying afloat a high-wire act for administrators in every community in the state—which is a golden ticket for those with the talent to pull it off.
Factors Driving Job Growth for Healthcare Administrators in Mississippi
The face of healthcare is changing all over the United States, but particularly in poor, rural states like Mississippi. According to Modern Healthcare, the state has only 186 physicians per 100,000 people. In 2020 that included 291 healthcare administrators for every 100,000 people, as reported by the BLS.
But that’s driving innovation, such as the growing Telehealth program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. That kind of efficient service delivery is being pushed by professional healthcare administrators, and fueling demand for more of them across the state. The state Department of Employment Security projects a 6.8 percent increase between 2018 and 2028, resulting in 20 openings per year. That’s a combination of new positions being created plus turnover in existing roles.
How Location Affects the Salaries of Mississippi’s Healthcare Administrators
Jackson leads the state in salaries at the median level, with $96,240 per year, which is convenient for administrators just starting out in the field because it’s also the metro area with the highest level of employment. More experienced and highly trained managers will also find Jackson to be comfortable; the 90th percentile there comes in as the highest in the state at $190,380.
Jackson
- 25th percentile: $72,260
- Median: $96,240
- 90th percentile: $190,380
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula
- 25th percentile: $61,190
- Median: $91,840
- 90th percentile: $161,470
Hattiesburg
- 25th percentile: $74,140
- Median: $91,200
- 90th percentile: $165,750
The employment levels in rural areas of Mississippi often exceed those in the urban areas, but fortunately, median salary levels are generally not far below those found in the cities.
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.