Mississippi's Leading Industry: Agriculture & Forestry, Not Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding (Ingalls in Pascagoula — largest military shipbuilder in U.S.) is iconic, but Agriculture & Forestry is Mississippi's largest economic sector by output and employment.

By the Numbers (2022–23)

• Ag & Forestry: $9.7 B value added; 170,000+ jobs (direct + induced). Top commodities: poultry, soybeans, cotton, corn, timber, catfish.
• Manufacturing (incl. shipbuilding): $18 B total; shipbuilding ~$2.5 B, ~11,000 direct jobs.
• GDP Share: Ag/Forestry ~8 %; Manufacturing ~16 % (shipbuilding subset ~2 %).

Why the Confusion?

• Ingalls (Huntington Ingalls Industries) is the state's single largest private employer (~11,000). High visibility.
• Ships are photogenic; soy fields less so.
• Political rhetoric highlights defense jobs.

Other Major Sectors

• Healthcare & Social Assistance (largest employer overall ~140k).
• Retail, Tourism (Gulf Coast, casinos), Automotive (Nissan Canton, Toyota Blue Springs).

Shipbuilding is a crown jewel, but the soil and forests feed the state's economic base.