Mississippi: Making Things With A Small-Firm Backbone
The Mississippi Development Authority reports the state's advanced manufacturing industry produced over $15 billion in 2024. The 2023 Census County Business Patterns counts 60,465 employer establishments statewide, 94.7 percent with fewer than 50 employees.
A small-firm economy means generalists: the person who handles scheduling also handles the spreadsheet, and also answers the phone. Software that assumes a specialist for every function is often a poor fit for a small team. The tools that work are the narrow ones that remove one chore completely.
the Mississippi Development Authority reports the state's advanced manufacturing industry produced over $15 billion in 2024
- Mississippi Development Authority: Advanced Manufacturing (current page; 2024 figures; retrieved 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2023 County Business Patterns: State file (cbp23st) (2023 CBP; retrieved 2026-10-05)