Working families seek economic security, meaning that they earn enough to pay for basic living expenses while saving enough to pay for larger and longer-term costs. Increasingly in the United States workers and their families are not able to achieve this security, especially minority households. This pattern is particularly prevalent in Mississippi. The reasons for the gap in what Mississippi families earn and what they need are multifaceted. The State of Working Mississippi 2016 analyzes trends in population, education, labor force, jobs, employment, wages, income, and poverty. It focuses specifically on the period from 2007 through 2015 to measure economic conditions just before, during, and since the Great Recession. Major findings for each topic are included at the beginning of the corresponding section and are followed by more detailed analyses. The report concludes with recommendations for improving economic conditions for the state’s workers. Mississippi is a vibrant state with much economic potential. By making strategic public investments and policy changes, the state’s leaders have an opportunity to improve the economic reality for the state, its workers, and their families.