State comparison
Mississippi vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Mississippi, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 82).
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 5 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Mississippi vs Wyoming
Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.64% of home value a year in Mississippi and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,152 against $1,925, so Wyoming has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07% in Mississippi and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,015 a year in Mississippi, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Mississippi's cost of living index is 82 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 23% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $180K in Mississippi and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $170K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month in Mississippi and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $2,500 a year in Mississippi and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Wyoming is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 283 incidents per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 28% lower. Property crime is 2,080 per 100,000 in Mississippi against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in Mississippi and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.1-year edge for Wyoming. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Mississippi's health system 47th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Wyoming scores better on care.
16.8% of Mississippi residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Wyoming. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi's K-12 schools 50th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 11 places apart in Wyoming's favor. Mississippi runs a school-choice voucher program; Wyoming does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points and Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Mississippi has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Mississippi and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Mississippi and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire), so Wyoming is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Mississippi and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Mississippi
10
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Mississippi or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $6,015); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 101); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 283); Wyoming on schools (ranked 39th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Mississippi or Wyoming?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 101. The median home is $180K in Mississippi and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Mississippi or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,015 a year in Mississippi ($3,282 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 in sales tax) and $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Mississippi or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 283 per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,080 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Mississippi or Wyoming?
Wyoming. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi 50th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th. Mississippi also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Mississippi or Wyoming better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Mississippi does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,152 a year in Mississippi and $1,925 in Wyoming.