Food Stamp Use, by State

"As one thin-film solar company falls (Solyndra), another one is scaling up. Silicon Valley startup, Stion, on Friday officially opened the doors of its factory in Mississippi, marking a milestone for the company as it seeks to expand production quickly in an increasingly competitive market."

"Given the recent swell of speculation that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will make a bid to become the Republican candidate for president in next year’s election, Barbour was offered the opportunity on Friday to use his appearance at The Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics Conference in Santa Barbara, Calif. to declare his candidacy.

No, Barbour replied, in a rare instance of appearing...

"Gov. Haley Barbour pointed at the difference between Mississippi's stimulus and Obama's stimulus at The Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics Conference in Santa Barbara, California, according to a post by the WSJ's Marketwatch.

Barbour said there has been 'a lack of support from the White House for nuclear power, and a wrongheaded bias toward renewable energy production.'"

"For better or worse, the economic future for the next 40 years in southeastern Mississippi will be greatly impacted by the decision of Public Service Commissioner Leonard Bentz.

Bentz is one of three members of the state Public Service Commission, which voted April 29 to conditionally approve Mississippi Power Company's (MPC's) $2.4-billion Kemper County clean coal plant. The company (...

"A recent report released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) illustrates Mississippians struggle to obtain financial security post-recession. The 2012 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard assesses the 50 states and the District of Columbia on different outcome and policy measures related to financial security."

"In 1929 the mayor of Columbia, Mississippi, Hugh Lawson White, gazed out his office window and contemplated the town's future. Located in the Piney Woods region, Columbia had depended on the cutting and milling of longleaf yellow pine as the principal source of employment for its 4,000 residents. By the middle of the 1920s with the vast stands of pine 'timbered out,' the largest companies...

"The Mississippi Supreme Court dealt a blow to one of the nation's suspected 'crony capitalism' beneficiaries on March 15 when it unanimously reversed a decision permitting the Mississippi Power Company to build a $2.4 billion power plant. Lobbyist and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was a vocal supporter of the project, and Mississippi Power as a subsidiary of Southern Company was a...

"Evergreen Solar Inc. said it has failed to find a buyer for its Devens, Mass., plant and plans to walk away from the facility, which was launched with some $50 million in state aid.

The company asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to abandon the property before a $543,000 property tax bill comes due."

"Food stamp usage is on the rise, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which released a report highlighting the issue and showing the highest food-stamp rates occurring in the Southern states, Michigan, Maine and Oregon.

Some 13.6 million households nationwide used food stamps last year, up from 11.7 million in 2009.

In Mississippi, the number also rose - by nearly 13,000...

"Governor Haley Barbour and officials from Stion, a venture-backed manufacturer of high-efficiency, low-cost thin film solar panels, announced today the company is locating a 100-megawatt solar panel production facility in Hattiesburg, Miss. The operations will be located in the Sunbeam building. The production line is the first phase of a company investment of $500 million that will create 1,...

"Governor Haley Barbour announced today that Twin Creeks Technologies, a venture-backed solar technology company, is locating a solar panel manufacturing facility in Senatobia, Miss. The production facility will create 512 jobs, in two phases, over the next five years and represents a company investment of more than $175 million."

"Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour generally opposes government involvement in the economy, but like other potential Republican presidential candidates, he’s willing to make an exception when it comes to farm subsidies."

"On June 26, a 1,427-page climate change bill introduced by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) passed the House by a narrow margin. The bill, also known as Waxman-Markey, includes a number of alarming provisions, chief among them a cap-and-trade program that would attempt to curb global warming by imposing strict upper limits on the emission of six greenhouse gases,...

"Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, says Mississippi's green energy start-ups have a 90 percent chance of failing.

That means Stion, Soladigm and KiOR, all of which are backed by Khosla Ventures, and all of which have been allocated tens of millions of dollars by the Mississippi Legislature, are very likely to fail."

"It's that time again − the umpteenth attempt to cap medical malpractice awards since the Republicans took over Congress. Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking at the Medical College of Ohio, has reaffirmed the main plank of the GOP's health care agenda: a $250,000 limit on damages to control 'runaway litigation.' Never mind that conservatives are supposed to be champions of states' rights and...

"Industrial employment in Mississippi increased by about a half percent over the past twelve months according to the 2012 Mississippi Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Mississippi gained 694 industrial jobs between February 2011 and February 2012."

"Calisolar, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based manufacturer of silicon for solar cells, has decided to build its next factory in a faraway locale known for generous government subsidies, low taxes and relatively inexpensive labor rates: Mississippi."

"Between the Mississippi river delta and the gulf coast, the state of Mississippi hosts some very unique places, not to mention being the birthplace of the Delta blues and a center of the civil rights movement. Even with all of its history and natural beauty, Mississippi has been slow to get on the solar energy train. Here’s what the legislature has done so far."

"The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an approval for a Southern Co $2.8 billion coal gasification project in Mississippi.

In a 9-0 vote, the state supreme court said the Mississippi Public Service Commission's May 2010 approval failed to satisfy state law that the plant would benefit the utility's customers, and sent the case back to the PSC."

"Thin-film solar startup Stion announced the grand opening of its first large-scale factory in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Where? Mississippi?

Stion is joined by a handful of green manufacturers locating to the state because of its low taxes, low labor rates and generous government subsidies."

"An alarming data point from the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee: More Americans are being added to food stamps than are finding jobs."

"The overall Mississippi economy in 2011 shows gradual recovery. Private-sector employment has been rising and tax collections are ahead of last year’s levels. The housing market remains depressed but it appears that housing prices have bottomed out and the downward trend in housing indicators is ending."

"PERS released its 2011 annual report in February. The report shows while assets increased to $23.8 billion, the funding level dropped to 62.4% and the deficit of retiree payments to employee contributions increased to $470 million. The system has 161,676 active members and 83,115 retirees and beneficiaries (p.35)."

"Retail sales taxes are often the most transparent way to collect tax revenue. Indeed, while many citizens do not know the standard 10, 15, 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent federal personal income tax rates, they tend to have at least some idea of the sales tax in their state, or could reach into their pocket to pull out a receipt with the rate printed on it.

However, almost three-quarters of...

"Since the Supreme Court's notorious 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London, which allowed that municipality to seize private property on behalf of the Pfizer Corporation, 43 states have passed laws protecting property rights against Kelo-style eminent domain abuse. Mississippi is not one of those states."

"The nation’s 16 million state and local government workers form a large, growing, and well-compensated class in society. State and local workers earned $36 per hour in wages and benefits in 2005, on average, compared to $24 per hour for U.S. private-sector workers. ... Another distinction is that 42 percent of state and local workers are represented by unions, compared to just 9 percent in...

"The Mississippi Supreme Court dealt a blow to one of the nation's suspected 'crony capitalism' beneficiaries on March 15 when it unanimously reversed a decision permitting the Mississippi Power Company to build a $2.4 billion power plant."

"The number of 'green jobs' in Mississippi will grow by 18.5 percent over the next 10 years and add 9,000 new jobs to the state, if a recent survey is correct. Mississippi's overall employment is expected to grow 12 percent during that time.

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security released the survey findings at a conference on 'greening Mississippi's economy' this morning....

"Growth in the food stamp program continued in the U.S. — with 27 states providing benefits to at least 1 in 7 people."

"For the first time in three years, the unemployment rate in Northeast Mississippi fell below 10 percent.

According to preliminary estimates from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the jobless rate for the region’s 16 counties was 9.8 percent in February. The only other time in the past three years Northeast Mississippi did not have double-digit unemployment was March...

"Although Mississippians will be manufacturing solar panels at Stion in Hattiesburg, they will find it difficult to use the company's products at home unless the state Public Service Commission adopts a uniform net-metering policy.

Stion touts its residential products on its website: 'Stion’s panels can help you save money on your electricity bill, gain energy independence and increase...

"While job losses have been experienced by Mississippians across all sectors during the decade, figure 11 takes a closer look at Mississippi’s industries during the 2000s. The manufacturing, trade and government sectors combine to provide over half of the state’s jobs. ... Among all industries, manufacturing employment for both durable and nondurable goods has suffered the largest decline....

"Here is the real problem- the deficit of payments to contributions keeps increasing. It is true PERS can use investment income and the assets themselves to erase this deficit. However, that is a band-aid to a problem that is getting worse each year. PERS will not always enjoy a 25% return in the markets. While it enjoyed investment income of over $3 million, suffered a loss in investment...

"Focusing the lens of educational attainment on the state’s working-age population reveals that gaps continue to exist between the educational attainment of white and African-American adults in Mississippi (see table 2). Almost twenty-three percent of white adults attained a bachelor’s or professional degree, compared to 12.0% of African-American adults. On the other end of the educational...

"This chart shows the funding level of PERS continues to fall. What is troubling is the funding level dropped after PERS enjoyed two good years of market returns: 14% and 25%. Some PERS defenders say PERS was hit by the financial implosion of 2008 and would be fine once the markets recovered. However, PERS has done well in the markets and the funding levels still continue to fall. But of...

This chart shows Mississippi's GDP fluctuations from 1991 to 2010. At approximately 6%, Mississippi's GDP growth was highest in 1994. In 2009, however, Mississippi GDP registered at -2.5%. This chart also contains GDP projections for 2011 through 2014.

"Many members of the state’s workforce have not seen an improvement in their wages during the last ten years, as companies were hit hard by two economic downturns, and state and local budgets tightened. The real value of median hourly wages in Mississippi grew slightly [from] 2000 to 2010, rising from $13.13 to $13.45 during that period (see figure 12).

In 1990, median wages in the...

This chart gives the numbers for key aspects of Mississippi's economy including employment, gross state product, poverty level, and welfare statistics.

This chart compares Mississippi statistics with the U.S. average on health insurance, poverty level, and unemployment. As of 2012, Mississippi's poverty level was eight percentage points higher than the national average, while Mississippi unemployment registered at 9.5 in comparison to the U.S. rate of 8.3.

According to this chart, Mississippi's gross domestic product grew from $75.99 billion in 2000 to $87.075 in 2010.

"The state's recovery is closely linked to that of the nation, and the growth rate of the state economy will rise in sync with the rest of the country for the most part. The growth rate of gross state product (GSP) was an estimated 0.9% in 2011, compared to a growth rate of 1.8% nationally. In 2012, the growth rate of gross state product is forecast to be 1.7%, versus 2.0% for the U.S....

This chart compares the various Mississippi industry sectors - such as government, trade, and manufacturing - to those in the rest of the United States. Mississippi's largest sector is government, which outpaces the national average by 6%.

This chart provides state and local tax data for Mississippi between 1977 and 2009 and compares it to the U.S. average.

As the title suggests, this chart describes Mississippi's unemployment numbers by county. With 20.1, Clay County had the highest unemployment rate in July 2011, while Rankin County had the lowest at 6.6.

This chart displays the composition of Mississippi's workforce. The service sector is the largest, while government and trade take second and third place. The manufacturing and agriculture industries have 13% and 4% of the workforce.

This chart compares poverty levels in Mississippi to those in the rest of the United States.

"Persons in poverty are defined here as those living in 'health insurance units' with incomes less than 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) as measured by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) poverty guidelines. Health insurance units are related individuals who would be...

"Regional results are reported by Work Force Investment Area (WFIA). Figure 2 delineates the WFIA regions and shows which counties fall within each region. A summary of overall and primary green employment data by region is also included."

"Inflation adjusted Mississippi income tax withholdings ... fell a substantial 3.0 percent in December over November. This was the lowest level since October 2009. The series has been volatile but as we have pointed out in recent issues, withholdings have yet to establish any real upward momentum since the beginning of the recovery."

Showing the number of jobs lost in Mississippi between February 2008 and November 2011, this chart demonstrates that February of 2010 registered the highest unemployment numbers with a loss of 76,000 jobs. Job loss had decreased somewhat by November 2011 when only 55,400 jobs were lost.

This chart shows the change in residential building permits in Mississippi from January 2000 to July 2011. "7,615 Permits were issued in the 1st seven months of 2005. During the same period of 2011, only 2,580 were issued. This is a 66% decrease."

This chart lists 21 different manufacturing industries in the North Mississippi region. Additionally, this chart gives specifics on the number of jobs and the corresponding wage level in each industry.

This chart describes the education levels of North Mississippi's underemployed workforce. Nearly 40% of the underemployed had only attained a high school degree or less.

In 2011, the state of Mississippi had the highest percentage of food stamp recipients in the country. This chart gives the numbers of food stamp recipients in Mississippi's four congressional districts. With 23.8 percent of its households receiving food stamps, the 2nd congressional district ranks the highest.

"The size of state and local bureaucracies varies widely by state. Table 2 shows the number of government workers in each state as a share of employment in the state. Along with the District of Columbia, the largest bureaucracies are in Alaska and Wyoming—states that have an image of rugged individualism. Some of the other states with big bureaucracies also lean conservative in their politics...

"The survey results were also analyzed by industry sector using the establishments’ North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. Among all industries, Manufacturing had the greatest number of primary green jobs with 3,813. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting had the second greatest number with 2,197. Five additional industries had primary green jobs totaling in the...

"Poverty is a major problem confronting the South, and particularly Mississippi, where about 1 out of every 5 persons lives in poverty (see Table 1). The percentage in poverty is even higher, if a self-sufficiency standard is used to set the income level below which a household is considered to live in poverty."

"Welcome to Blueprint Mississippi – a massive, privately funded effort aimed at both looking at Mississippi as it is, and as it can be, and providing a process for engaging business and community leaders across the state in a sustained effort to continuously improve our competitive position to put our state in the place of greatest opportunity.

The material presented is a snapshot of...

This presentation specifically looks at the impacts the Recession has had on Mississippi's families and children.

"The Economic Briefing is an annual publication presenting an overview of Mississippi's fiscal status for the current and following fiscal years. Revenues, expenditures and ending balances are addressed. Historical summary statistics are also provided." - Mississippi Public Universities

"Mississippi’s economic outlook remains riddled with uncertainty at the start of the new year, despite some recent improvement. Nationally, the U.S. economy continues its unsettling roller-coaster ride, with positive developments alternating with negative. Internationally, the Eurozone is at the start of a recession, and the growth rates of the strongest economies, including China’s, are...

"Thirty-six counties in the state were declared eligible for federal disaster assistance as a result of tornadoes, severe storms and flooding occurring April 15 – 28. Flooding along the Mississippi River and tributaries, which has broken records set in the 1920s and 1930s, will add more to the list. Thousands have lost jobs and hundreds have suffered extensive damage to their homes and...

"In this fifth edition of Rich States, Poor States, Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Jonathan Williams identify the states that experience prosperity and those that continue to struggle, highlighting the policies that contribute to economic well-being in the 50 states. The authors also provide the 2012 ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, based on state economic...

"Presented to the Annual Conference of The Mississippi Economic Policy Center," this presentation contains a variety of charts and graphs prepared by Mississippi state economist Darrin Webb.

"The first section of this report, which is entitled, 'A Roadmap for Mississippi's Energy Future', describes the initial organization structure of the Mississippi Energy Policy Institute: the MEPI Board of Directors, the Mission Statement, Objectives, Goals, and a description of each of the committees and its leadership.

The next section of the report lists the Priority Goals of MEPI,...

"The Index of Family Belonging was 45.8 percent with a corresponding Family Rejection score of 54.2 percent for the United States for the year 2009. The action of parents determines the belonging or rejection score: whether they marry and belong to each other, or whether they reject one another through divorce or otherwise. Rejection leaves children without married parents committed to one...

"Economic developers want to grow business in Mississippi, and they say it all starts in small towns. MPB's Daniel Cherry reports how leaders say communities and cities need to be unique if they want to grow their local economy."

"The role of job creation at the local level is complicated, especially given the large macroeconomic context that often has a bigger impact than local efforts and policies. Yet, nearly every city in the country has an organization whose chief responsibility is to add to the quantity and quality of local jobs. Job-creation strategies are becoming increasingly differentiated among localities...

"Robert Siegel speaks with John Davis, the director of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in Mississippi. He talks about the numbers and nature of recipients in his state. While the program is targeted at people who need help for a limited time period while they transition from unemployment back to employment, many people are using it indefinitely."

"Today’s podcast is one of four podcasts from our two-thousand nine economic forecast conference. The Conference was held January twenty-second at the BancorpSouth Conference Center in Tupelo, Mississippi, where over five-hundred area citizens heard forecasts on the economy locally, state-wide, and nationally from noted speakers. This podcast features Mr. Mitch Waycaster, Chairman of the...

"Today's podcast is one of four podcasts from our two-thousand ten Northeast Mississippi Economic Forecast Conference. The Conference was held January twentieth at the BancorpSouth Conference Center in Tupelo, Mississippi, where over seven-hundred area citizens heard forecasts on the economy locally, state-wide, and nationally from noted speakers. This podcast features Mr. Chris Rogers,...

"Richard Epstein of the University of Chicago and Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the rule of law. Epstein lays out a minimalist definition and a more expansive definition when considering the protection that individuals might have when facing the power of the state or the sovereign. Applications include 'takings...

"Peter Schweizer, fellow at the Hoover Institution & author of Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, on whether Super Committee pols had any put options premised on their own failure, and a detailing of the corruption uncovered in his new book, Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism that Would Send...

"Peter Schweizer doesn't have many friends on Capitol Hill these days. So few, in fact, that he was told not to even show his face at a congressional hearing on insider trading — even though that hearing was the direct result of his new book, 'Throw Them All Out.'

Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, spoke at The Heritage Foundation this week about his research on the '...

"Gov. Haley Barbour discusses the importance of supporting artists, musicians and writers as a way to grow the state's economy. The Mississippi Development Authority and Mississippi Arts Commission hosted a summit to discuss support for people in the creative industries."

"Gov. Haley Barbour and officials from Stion, a venture-backed manufacturer of high-efficiency, low-cost thin film solar panels, announced today the company is locating a 100-megawatt solar panel production facility in Hattiesburg, Miss. The operations will be located in the Sunbeam building. The production line is the first phase of a company investment of $500 million that will create 1,000...

"State lawmakers react to a special session that would give $175 million in incentives to green tech industries looking to relocate to Mississippi."

"The Mississippi Public Service Commission announced Thursday its approval with conditions of Mississippi Power Companys $2.4 billion clean coal plant which will be built in Kemper County.

The project is the largest addition to a public utility in state history and will also have the distinction of being the first U.S. clean coal plant to capture carbon dioxide emissions."

"Overall, green employment in Mississippi is expected to grow by 18.5 percent relative to 12.1 percent growth for Mississippi employment as a whole. The rapid growth in green employment is even more remarkable given that the 2010 baseline includes a significant amount of green employment created by ARRA funding, some of which will disappear as that spending wanes. However, that projected level...

"The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:

(a) There exists in the State of Mississippi a continuing need for gainful employment for the citizens of this state.

(b) To help provide employment opportunities, a division within the Mississippi Development Authority should be created with power to secure the location and expansion within this state of major economic impact...

This fact sheet gives a variety of information on Mississippi's poverty and food insecurity levels.

"The Mississippi Green Jobs Survey, conducted during the third and fourth quarter of 2010, is the first of its kind in the state and aims to establish a baseline measure of green employment. The survey sought to capture the gradual greening of the economy by measuring primary and support green jobs. Primary green jobs are those with a primary job function in one of seven activity categories:...

"Advocacy: MEC has been the voice of business since 1949. Today, we use a high-tech, two-way communication database aimed at linking more than 7,000 business leaders in an effort to influence the legislative process within minutes.

Research: Recommendations are based on thorough investigation and sophisticated polling so that MEC issues fully reflect those of business leaders across...

"Information About the Green Economy in Mississippi."

"Momentum Mississippi is a statewide, public, private partnership dedicated to the development of economic and employment opportunities in Mississippi. We are a one-stop shop for ideas, information, and status reports. Our common goal is to bring new investments, jobs, and quality education to Mississippi. We strive to develop strategies and legislation that promote a positive business climate...

"The primary goal of the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association is to help businesses and industries identify new sites — or opportunities to expand existing operations — in north Mississippi.

NMIDA provides extensive information and assistance directly to industry leaders, and also supports the efforts of municipalities and local economic development agencies to promote...