MS has lowest vaccine rate in the US, new study shows. Here’s why
Mississippi has the lowest vaccination rate in the United States, despite having historically high childhood immunization numbers, a recent ranking finds.
The September ranking by WalletHub, a personal finance website, scored all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on child and teen immunization rates, adult and elderly vaccination rates and immunization uptake disparities. Analysts used data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration for the ranking.
Mississippi’s total score for vaccinations was 13.25, about 14 points below Nevada, the second-least vaccinated state, and 69 points below Massachusetts, the most vaccinated state, WalletHub analysts found.
Why was MS ranked last in vaccination rates?
Mississippi had some of the lowest scores in each of the three key measures, ranking last in the following, according to the study:
- Influenza vaccination rate for children between 6 months old and 17-years-old
- Share of teens ages 13-17 with current HPV vaccination
- Share of teens ages 12-17 with MenACWY vaccination
- Flu vaccination coverage rate among adults
- Share of adults with Tetanus vaccination
- Share of adults ages 60 and older with Zoster vaccination
It also tied with Wyoming for 46th-highest share of the noninstitutionalized population without health insurance, the study found.
Even with Mississippians’ vaccine hesitancy, state health experts encourage getting seasonal vaccinations, calling them the “best defense against several highly contagious viruses that could lead to hospitalization and death,” according to a Nov. 5 Mississippi State Department of Health news release.
What about historically-high childhood immunization in MS?
Mississippi’s childhood immunization program has historically been “one of the most successful” in the country, according to the MSDH.
In 2024, 97.5% of Mississippi kindergarteners were vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Nevertheless, the state’s high immunization rates for schoolchildren don’t make up for the gaps in adult and teen vaccinations, Chip Lupo, WalletHub writer and analyst, told McClatchy News.
“The state has traditionally done well with required childhood shots, but its rates for flu, HPV, meningococcal, tetanus, and shingles vaccines are among the lowest in the country,” Lupo said.
High uninsured rates and low participation in immunization tracking systems across the state also help to explain why Mississippi comes in last in vaccinations overall, he said.
Which states have the lowest vaccination rates?
These are the 10 states where people get vaccinated the least, according to WalletHub’s study:
1. Mississippi
2. Nevada
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Kentucky
6. Oklahoma
7. Florida
8. Wyoming
9. Arizona
10. Alaska
Which states have the highest vaccination rates?
These are the 10 states with the highest vaccination rates, according to the WalletHub study:
1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Washington
4. Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
6. Vermont
7. Maine
8. North Dakota
9. Wisconsin
10. Iowa
