Phlebotomist Salary in Mississippi
Mississippi pays a BLS mean of $36,710 per year ($17.65 per hour) for phlebotomy, the lowest of any US state and about $8,810 below the national mean of $45,520. But Mississippi also has the lowest cost of living in the country (BEA Regional Price Parity 85), which lifts the real purchasing power of that wage to roughly $43,190 in national-average terms. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson anchors the state's largest phlebotomy market, with the Gulf Coast and Tupelo as the other major employment centers.
The lowest nominal pay, but the lowest cost of living
Mississippi's $36,710 state mean is the lowest phlebotomist wage in the country, sitting just below Louisiana ($37,420) and Alabama ($38,020) and roughly 19 percent under the $45,520 national mean. Read in isolation, that looks discouraging. But nominal wages are only half the picture.
Mississippi has the lowest cost of living of any state. Its BEA Regional Price Parity of 85 means goods and services cost about 15 percent less than the national average, driven mostly by housing. Dividing the state wage by that price index gives a real-purchasing-power equivalent of roughly $43,190 in national-average terms, close to the national middle rather than the bottom. A phlebotomist earning $36,710 in Jackson keeps more of it than the headline number suggests, especially on housing, where Mississippi is consistently among the two or three cheapest states in the US.
The take-home picture improves further with the state's income-tax phase-down (below). For a cost-of-living-adjusted view across all 50 states, see the highest-paying states ranking, where low-cost states climb well above their nominal position.
Where the phlebotomy jobs are
Jackson metro. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the state's only academic medical center, its only Level I trauma center, and home to Children's of Mississippi, the state's only children's hospital. UMMC is the single largest healthcare employer in Mississippi and the anchor phlebotomy market, drawing demand across hospital inpatient, outpatient clinics, and its reference and research laboratories. Merit Health Central (Community Health Systems) and the Baptist and St. Dominic hospital networks round out the Jackson metro employer base.
The Gulf Coast. The Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula corridor is served by Singing River Health System (Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Gulfport) and Memorial Health System (Memorial Hospital at Gulfport), plus a growing Ochsner Health footprint expanding west from Louisiana. Coastal pay tends to track near or slightly below the state mean.
Northeast Mississippi. North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, the flagship of North Mississippi Health Services, is one of the largest non-metropolitan hospitals in the country and the dominant employer for the northeast corner of the state. Forrest General Hospital anchors the Hattiesburg market in the south, and the Baptist Memorial system operates hospitals in the Golden Triangle (Columbus) and, in the north, DeSoto County.
DeSoto County commute belt. DeSoto County in northern Mississippi is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Phlebotomists living there can commute across the state line into Tennessee for the higher-paying Memphis hospital market while keeping Mississippi's lower housing costs, a meaningful arbitrage for workers in that corner of the state.
License, taxes, and the dual-role pay lift
No state license. Mississippi does not require a state phlebotomy license; only California, Nevada, Washington, and Louisiana do. National certification is still worth earning: the large systems prefer NHA CPT or ASCP PBT at hire, and certified staff earn credential differentials. See the certification ROI breakdown for how much each credential adds.
Falling income tax. Mississippi levies a flat individual income tax of 4.0 percent in 2026 on taxable income above $10,000 (the first $10,000 is taxed at 0 percent). Under House Bill 1, signed by Governor Tate Reeves in March 2025, the rate steps down to 3.75 percent in 2027, 3.5 percent in 2028, 3.25 percent in 2029, and 3.0 percent in 2030, with a legislative path toward full elimination in later years subject to revenue triggers. Each cut lifts take-home pay, further narrowing the gap with higher-nominal-wage states.
The dual-role path. In a low-wage market, the fastest way to lift phlebotomy pay in Mississippi is to broaden scope. Cross-training as both a CNA and a phlebotomist, or earning the combined CPCT/A patient care technician credential, lets a worker fill two roles and command patient care technician pay rather than single-role wages. Many Mississippi hospitals post combined CNA-phlebotomy postings for exactly this reason.
Frequently asked questions
How much do phlebotomists make in Mississippi?
Mississippi reports a BLS OEWS May 2025 state mean of $36,710 per year ($17.65 per hour), the lowest of any US state and about $8,810 below the national mean of $45,520. It sits just below Louisiana ($37,420) and Alabama ($38,020). But Mississippi also has the lowest cost of living in the country (BEA Regional Price Parity 85), which lifts the real purchasing power of that wage to roughly $43,190 in national-average terms.
Does Mississippi require a phlebotomy license?
No. Mississippi does not require a state-level phlebotomy license. Only four states (California, Nevada, Washington, and Louisiana) mandate state licensure. National credentials (NHA CPT, ASCP PBT, AMT RPT) are accepted at every Mississippi employer, and the large hospital systems such as the University of Mississippi Medical Center prefer a national certification at hire, so most Mississippi phlebotomists still certify even though the state does not require it.
What is the highest-paying phlebotomy market in Mississippi?
The Jackson metro, anchored by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) - the state's only academic medical center and Level I trauma center - is the largest and generally best-paying phlebotomy market in Mississippi. The Gulf Coast (Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula), served by Singing River Health System and Memorial Health System, and the northeast around Tupelo (North Mississippi Medical Center) are the other major employment centers. Phlebotomists in DeSoto County, part of the Memphis metro, can also commute across the state line into Tennessee for higher pay.
How much do CNA phlebotomists make in Mississippi?
In Mississippi's lower-wage healthcare market, cross-training as both a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and a phlebotomist is a common way to lift pay and hireability. CNAs earn a national median of $42,260 and Mississippi runs below that, while phlebotomists average $36,710 in the state. A dual CNA-plus-phlebotomy skill set (or the combined CPCT/A patient care technician credential) lets a worker fill both roles and command patient care technician pay rather than single-role wages, which is why many Mississippi employers post combined postings. See the phlebotomist-vs-CNA comparison for the full pay math.
Why is phlebotomist pay so low in Mississippi?
Mississippi's nominal wages are the lowest in the nation across most occupations, driven by the lowest cost of living, a largely rural population, a smaller concentration of large hospital systems, and low union coverage in a right-to-work state. For phlebotomists specifically, the state mean of $36,710 is a nominal figure: once the country's lowest prices (BEA RPP 85) are factored in, real purchasing power rises to about $43,190, closer to the national middle. Mississippi's ongoing individual income-tax phase-down further improves take-home pay.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (SOC 31-9097). Cost-of-living adjustment uses BEA Regional Price Parities. Tax schedule per Mississippi HB 1 (2025).