Mississippi is referred to as “The Hospitality State”  because we are known for being inviting and welcoming to our visitors, but what about our residents? 

   Mississippi has had a steady population drop due to things like political leadership, lack of diversity and boredom. 

   The average age of the Mississippi Legislature is 57.3 years old. This is an issue because the average age of the Mississippi population is 37.1 years old. The Legislature average is an entire 20 years older than the population’s age average. 

   The main issue with this age gap is that some of the elders in the Legislature are not welcoming new opinions. They are sitting on their high horse and won’t lean down to listen to us. Some citizens have witnessed this happening over and over and they highly doubt things will ever change. 

   The lack of diversity through opinions, race and religion may have an impact on the declining population. Many people would rather live somewhere that everyone’s differing beliefs are respected instead of being coerced into thinking the same. Others feel trapped, because they do not feel that they can be who they want to be in such a confined space with such close-mindedness. 

   Boredom is a very big problem in Mississippi due to the fact that there is nothing to do. Being at least 20 minutes away from larger towns makes it very difficult to find activities. Boredom then leads to bigger problems such as substance abuse and crime. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 622 died of drug overdose in Mississippi between March 2023 and March 2024.