"Thank God for Mississippi."

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"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. Since the state of Mississippi generally ranks near or (stereotypically) at the bottom of such rankings, residents of other states ranking near the bottom frequently proclaim, "Thank God for Mississippi", since the presence of that state in 50th place spares them of the shame of finishing in last place.[1] Examples include rankings of educational achievement,[2] overall health,[3] the poverty rate,[4] 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[5][6] and journalists,[7][8][9][10] though occasionally with a slight twist.[11][12][13]

History[edit]
The saying has been attributed since before the induction of Alaska and Hawaii as states in 1959, [14] and its use, while in use throughout the entire country, is especially common in Alabama,[15] which shares significant cultural and historical ties with its neighbor and former Mississippi Territory co-constituent Mississippi.[16][17] Its use is also noted in nearby Arkansas and other frequently low-ranking states such as West Virginia and Texas.[18][19][20][21][22][23]

The saying has become something of a cliché,[24] and has seen usage across the nation with regard to rankings both serious[25] and trivial,[26][27] and the underlying logic has been extrapolated to other states and even countries.[28]

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