Middle-Class Incomes Are Rising Much Faster Than Living Costs in 2 Surprising Deep South States

Middle-class incomes in Louisiana and Mississippi outpaced the rising cost of living between 2019 and 2024, according to a MoneyLion analysis. In Louisiana, the median household income in 2024 was $60,986, an increase of $11,517 from 2019, while the cost of living rose by $4,070 to $36,605. This resulted in incomes growing 10.8% more than household costs for the typical middle-class family. Mississippi saw its median household income reach $59,127 in 2024, $14,046 higher than in 2019, with the cost of living increasing by $6,003 to $34,755. This translates to a 10.3% income versus cost-of-living gain for the average middle-class household in Mississippi over the five-year period. The report attributes this trend to significantly lower median home list prices in both states, $275,000 in Louisiana and $299,000 in Mississippi, compared to the national average, as housing costs are a major component of the cost of living. Rudri Patel, senior financial writer at MoneyLion, noted that paychecks grew faster than bills in these states, with Louisiana experiencing a particularly low cost increase of about 13%. In contrast, 14 other states saw middle-class incomes fall behind cost-of-living increases by 10% or more during the same timeframe.