Black Health Profile
Black health in Mississippi
1,081,495
Black residents (ACS)
36.60%
Of state population
Mississippi has the highest share of Black residents of any US state (36.6%), about 1.1 million people. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson is the state's only level-I trauma center and only academic medical center. Mississippi has not adopted Medicaid expansion; about one third of the state's adult coverage gap is Black. The Mississippi State Department of Health's Perinatal High-Risk Management / Infant Services System targets home visits to 18 priority counties.
Mississippi records the second-highest Black maternal mortality rate in the nation (after Louisiana). The state's maternal mortality review committee publishes biennial findings via msdh.ms.gov.
On the positive side, every US state now has CDC-funded maternal mortality review committees, and most have at least one HRSA-designated federally qualified health center serving low-income Black residents. The ten facet pages below point to state-specific programs and providers.
Key takeaways
- Black residents: 1,081,495 (36.6% of the state).
- Medicaid expansion not adopted — lowest-income adults without dependent children have no direct path to coverage.
- Medicaid does not cover doula services.
- Midwife coverage under Medicaid is restricted.
- 12-month postpartum Medicaid extension active.
Health outcomes & coverage
Ten race-stratified indicators drawn from CDC, Census, KFF, and SAMHSA primary sources. Each page links the underlying dataset, compares to the national average, and frames the state-specific drivers and policy levers.
maternal mortality
Black women in Mississippi die from pregnancy-related causes at 78.6 per 100,000 live births — 4.1× the US national rate of 19.
Read the maternal mortality breakdown
infant mortality
Black infants in Mississippi die before age one at 15 per 1,000 live births — compared to the US all-race rate of 5.4.
Read the infant mortality breakdown
cardiovascular mortality
Age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality among Black residents of Mississippi: 398.1 deaths per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 I00-I99).
Read the cardiovascular mortality breakdown
diabetes prevalence
17.9% of Black adults in Mississippi have been diagnosed with diabetes — compared to the US all-race rate of 11.6%.
Read the diabetes prevalence breakdown
breast cancer mortality
Age-adjusted breast cancer mortality among Black women in Mississippi: 31 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C50).
Read the breast cancer mortality breakdown
prostate cancer mortality
Age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality among Black men in Mississippi: 45 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C61).
Read the prostate cancer mortality breakdown
life expectancy
Life expectancy at birth for Black residents of Mississippi: 71.3 years (US all-race: 77.5).
Read the life expectancy breakdown
uninsured rate
15.1% of Black residents of Mississippi have no health insurance coverage — vs. a US all-race uninsured rate of 8%.
Read the uninsured rate breakdown
Medicaid coverage
About 36% of Black residents of Mississippi receive Medicaid coverage. Mississippi is a Medicaid non-expansion state.
Read the Medicaid coverage breakdown
mental health access
62.1% of Black adults in Mississippi who experienced a past-year mental health need reported not receiving the treatment they needed (SAMHS…
Read the mental health access breakdown
Policy context in Mississippi
Mississippi has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Low-income Black adults without dependent children earning above state Medicaid eligibility thresholds and below the ACA marketplace subsidy threshold fall into the coverage gap — uninsured by default. Medicaid does not currently cover doula services. Postpartum Medicaid coverage extends for 12 months after delivery, the federal recommended standard.
Mississippi has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Postpartum Medicaid coverage was extended to 12 months effective July 2023 (HB 713). Certified nurse-midwife Medicaid coverage is restricted compared to most other Southern states. Doula Medicaid coverage is not authorized.
Find Black health providers & resources in Mississippi
Counties in Mississippi
County-level Black Health profiles for the 1 Mississippi county with the fullest race-stratified data and editorial coverage.
Data sources & refresh cadence
- US Census ACS 5-year 2019–2023, Table B02001 (race) & S1903 (income).
- CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death (D69) & Underlying Cause of Death (D76), 2018–2022 release.
- KFF Medicaid expansion and state coverage trackers, Q1 2026.
- SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2022 state annual.
- HRSA NHSC workforce data, 2024.
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