Which has more people, Mississippi or West Virginia?

Mississippi has a population of 2,958,148 (35th of 51 US states) and West Virginia has 1,764,892 (39th of 51).

How do Mississippi and West Virginia compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Mississippi $56,447 (51st of 51), West Virginia $59,608 (50th of 51) among US states. West Virginia ranks better.

How do Mississippi and West Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?

Unemployment Rate (%): Mississippi 3.8% (tied 20th of 51), West Virginia 4.2% (tied 30th of 51) among US states. Mississippi ranks better.

Where does Mississippi beat West Virginia most clearly?

Mississippi ranks far ahead on Heroin Use Past Month (Drug Use by State): 0.22% vs 0.62%; Average EBRW SAT Score (SAT Scores by State): 624 vs 474; Average Math SAT Score (SAT Scores by State): 598 vs 437.

Where does West Virginia beat Mississippi most clearly?

West Virginia ranks far ahead on % of Hate Crimes with Racial/Ethnic/Ancestry Bias (Most Racist States): 43.3% vs 64.7%; Christmas Spirit Rank (Christmas by State): 4th vs 47th; # Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): 0.4 vs 14.3.

Mississippi vs West Virginia

West Virginia comes out ahead of Mississippi on 416 of 799 statistics where one end is better, to 367 with 16 ties. Mississippi leads on Agriculture, Education and Health and 2 more categories. West Virginia leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Politics & Government and Travel and 8 more categories.

799 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 16 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Mississippi

Wins: 367
Avg. percentile: 39
Categories led: 5

West Virginia

Wins: 416
Avg. percentile: 39
Categories led: 11

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Mississippi	West Virginia
Population	2,958,148 35th of 51	1,764,892 39th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$56,447 51st of 51	$59,608 50th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	3.8% tied 20th of 51	4.2% tied 30th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	18.9% 50th of 51	16.7% 48th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	87.0 2nd of 51	89.5 9th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$48,465 51st of 51	$50,051 50th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$50,810 51st of 51	$56,470 49th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$954 tied 4th of 51	$872 1st of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	226.9 15th of 51	241.7 20th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	2,388 5th of 48	5,067 22nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureMississippi · 17 statistics
EducationMississippi · 51 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyWest Virginia · 36 statistics
Politics & GovernmentWest Virginia · 124 statistics
TravelWest Virginia · 27 statistics
SportsWest Virginia · 17 statistics
HealthMississippi · 191 statistics
Crime & SafetyWest Virginia · 72 statistics
LawWest Virginia · 66 statistics
CultureWest Virginia · 76 statistics
GeographyWest Virginia · 23 statistics
Tech & BusinessWest Virginia · 46 statistics
Facts & TriviaMississippi · 17 statistics
PopulationMississippi · 123 statistics
EconomicsWest Virginia · 295 statistics
EnvironmentWest Virginia · 39 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 26 US states.

Statistic	Mississippi	West Virginia
Heroin Use Past MonthDrug Use by State	0.22% 2nd of 51	0.62% 49th of 51
Average EBRW SAT ScoreSAT Scores by State	624 tied 5th of 51	474 50th of 51
Average Math SAT ScoreSAT Scores by State	598 tied 6th of 51	437 50th of 51
Laws and Regulations RankBest States to Homeschool	3rd tied 3rd of 50	45th tied 45th of 50
Cost of LivingPension-Friendly States	100 1st of 49	68 tied 41st of 49
% of Hate Crimes with Racial/Ethnic/Ancestry BiasMost Racist States	64.7% 48th of 51	43.3% 5th of 51
Average Total SAT ScoreSAT Scores by State	1,223 7th of 51	911 50th of 51
Christmas Spirit RankChristmas by State	47th 47th of 51	4th 4th of 51
Difference from National Average SAT ScoreSAT Scores by State	194 7th of 51	-118 50th of 51
Employment and Wealth Racial Progress RankLeast Racist States	2nd 2nd of 51	44th 44th of 51
# Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022Prison Population by State	14.3 50th of 50	0.4 9th of 50
Lyme Disease CasesTick Population by State	4 4th of 50	3,233 45th of 50
ROI Potential RankFarming-Friendly States	9th 9th of 50	50th 50th of 50
Service Fees (USD)Bad Check Laws by State	$30.00 tied 35th of 50	$10.00 1st of 50
Bad Driving IndexWorst Drivers by State	100 49th of 49	39.86 9th of 49
Weekly Grocery CostGrocery Prices by State	$290.64 47th of 51	$239.24 6th of 51
Average Literacy ScoreU.S. Literacy Rates by State	219 tied 7th of 51	206 49th of 51
Other Drug Use Rate (Per 100k)Drug Use by State	49.19 8th of 51	78.32 49th of 51
% of Students Below Basic Reading LevelU.S. Literacy Rates by State	35.0% tied 4th of 51	47.0% tied 45th of 51
Health Care RankDisability Benefits by State	46th 46th of 51	6th 6th of 51
CAS Legal Executive Corruption Level (1-5)Most Corrupt States	4 tied 35th of 48	2 tied 1st of 48
Adults Diagnosed With DepressionDepression Rates by State	18.1% tied 10th of 48	31.1% 48th of 48
Registration & Documentation FeesCar Registration Fees by State	$1,144 47th of 50	$302 8th of 50
% Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022Prison Population by State	2,470.0% 48th of 50	26.0% 9th of 50
Opioid Death RateOpioid Epidemic by State	18.6 per 1k pop. 12th of 51	48.9 per 1k pop. 51st of 51
Skin Cancer Death RatesSkin Cancer Rates by State	1.8 tied 8th of 48	3 47th of 48
Total ScoreBest States to Homeschool	73 10th of 50	28 tied 47th of 50
Depression RatesHealthiest States	19.7 13th of 50	30.2 50th of 50
Average Student Loan DebtDebt by State	$6,120 tied 42nd of 51	$4,240 6th of 51
Registration FeeCar Registration Fees by State	$719 50th of 50	$52.00 14th of 50

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Mississippi or West Virginia?: West Virginia comes out ahead of Mississippi on 416 of 799 statistics where one end is better, to 367 with 16 ties. Mississippi leads on Agriculture, Education and Health and 2 more categories. West Virginia leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Politics & Government and Travel and 8 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Mississippi or West Virginia?: Mississippi has a population of 2,958,148 (35th of 51 US states) and West Virginia has 1,764,892 (39th of 51).
How do Mississippi and West Virginia compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Mississippi $56,447 (51st of 51), West Virginia $59,608 (50th of 51) among US states. West Virginia ranks better.
How do Mississippi and West Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Mississippi 3.8% (tied 20th of 51), West Virginia 4.2% (tied 30th of 51) among US states. Mississippi ranks better.
Where does Mississippi beat West Virginia most clearly?: Mississippi ranks far ahead on Heroin Use Past Month (Drug Use by State): 0.22% vs 0.62%; Average EBRW SAT Score (SAT Scores by State): 624 vs 474; Average Math SAT Score (SAT Scores by State): 598 vs 437.
Where does West Virginia beat Mississippi most clearly?: West Virginia ranks far ahead on % of Hate Crimes with Racial/Ethnic/Ancestry Bias (Most Racist States): 43.3% vs 64.7%; Christmas Spirit Rank (Christmas by State): 4th vs 47th; # Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): 0.4 vs 14.3.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Mississippi or West Virginia.

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