Open main menu Edit this page "Thank God for Mississippi" is a common adage in the United States , particularly in the South , that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states . [1] Since the state of Mississippi generally (or stereotypically) ranks near or at the bottom of such rankings, residents of other states ranking near the bottom may proclaim, "Thank God for Mississippi," since the presence of that state in 50th place spares them of the shame of finishing in last place. [2] Examples include rankings of educational achievement , [3] overall health, [4] the poverty rate , [5] life expectancy or other objective criteria of the quality of life or government in the fifty states. The phrase is in use even among state government officials [6] [7] and journalists, [8] [9] [10] [11] though occasionally with a slight twist. [12] [13] [14] Mississippi's poor re...