Mississippi posts the lowest estimated safety-manager salary in this group — about $77,000 a year — but that should be read against one of the lowest costs of living in the country, under straightforward federal OSHA oversight.
Mississippi does not run its own OSHA State Plan. Workplace safety is enforced directly by federal OSHA, with no separate state-administered program layered on top.
The state’s real industrial base sits in shipbuilding, automotive assembly and food processing. Huntington Ingalls Industries operates a major shipyard in Pascagoula building vessels for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard; automotive assembly plants (including a large Nissan facility near Canton and a Toyota plant near Blue Springs) add another significant chunk of manufacturing-safety demand; and poultry processing is a large, geographically spread employer across the state. The largest concentrations of EHS and safety-manager roles overall are around Jackson, Gulfport and Hattiesburg, with the Gulf Coast area also benefiting from shipbuilding and port activity.
In Mississippi, a safety or EHS manager earns an estimated median of $77,000 a year, with most roles paying between $60,060 and $103,950 — the lowest figures among the states covered in this group. The estimate scales the BLS national median for occupational health & safety specialists — $83,910 (SOC 19-5011, OES May 2024) — to Mississippi’s wage level; actual pay depends on industry, employer size, certifications and experience. The lower number reflects Mississippi’s overall wage level rather than a lack of demand for safety expertise. Importantly, Mississippi is consistently ranked among the least expensive states to live in, so this salary figure should be read against a considerably lower cost-of-living baseline than a similar number in, say, Massachusetts or Maryland.
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What do safety managers earn in Mississippi?
Mississippi safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of about $77,000 a year, with most roles between $60,060 and $103,950 depending on industry, employer size, certifications and experience, scaling BLS national OES data to Mississippi's wage level.
Does Mississippi have its own OSHA program?
No. Mississippi does not operate an OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety is enforced directly by federal OSHA.
Why is Mississippi's safety-manager salary the lowest in this group?
Wages across most occupations in Mississippi run below the national average. The state still has real industrial safety demand — shipbuilding at Huntington Ingalls in Pascagoula, automotive assembly plants, and a large poultry-processing sector are all significant employers of EHS staff.
Does Mississippi's cost of living offset the lower salary?
To a large degree, yes. Mississippi consistently ranks as one of the least expensive states to live in, so the lower dollar figure buys comparatively more here than the same number would in a higher-cost state.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home