Miss. economy grows at 3.6 percent rate in second quarter

JACKSON, Miss (AP) - New figures show Mississippi's economy grew at a 3.6 percent annual rate from April through June, slightly slower than the nation's economy.

Gross domestic product numbers released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis try to measure all of the economic output of each state.

Mississippi's performance was a sharp improvement from 2015's first quarter, when the economy shrank 1.5 percent, and from 2014, when economic output was flat.

The 2014 figures have been revised up from originally showing that the Magnolia State economy shrank 1.2 percent.

Wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, finance and insurance and real estate leasing were the biggest drivers of Mississippi growth.

Nationwide, economic output grew 3.8 percent during 2015's second quarter.

Mississippi, which has a $105 billion-plus economy, ranked 32nd for growth among states