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Home / General Contractors / Mississippi

How to become a general contractor in Mississippi

Most general contractors in Mississippi start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

10registered apprenticeship programs$32.17median an hour in Mississippi

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In MS
10 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In MS
5 schools with programs
Compare 5 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Mississippi is $32.17 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Mississippi
  3. Run your own shop

    You must show experience in each classification you ask for by listing at least 3 jobs you completed in that classification (for example, 3 electrical jobs for an Electrical license). You also provide 3 reference letters, one of them from your bank, and proof that your qualifying party works for the company.

    Issued by
    Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC)
    Mississippi contractor license
Pay once you're working

$66,910

a year is the median for general contractors in Mississippi ($32.17 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Gulfport–Biloxi$36.47
  2. Jackson$34.53
  3. Hattiesburg$31.61
Mississippi median $32.17 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Mississippi?

Yes. Mississippi licenses general contractors through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC).1

Are general contractors in demand in Mississippi?

Projections Central expects about 750 general contractor openings a year in Mississippi through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

10 registered programs in Mississippi. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Mississippi

Sources

  1. Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) contractor licensing (msboc.us)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Mississippi, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)