New figures show Mississippi's economy grew at a 3.4 percent annual rate from July through September, just short of the national growth rate.
Gross domestic product numbers released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis try to measure all economic output of each state.
Mississippi's performance picked up from 2016's second quarter, when the economy grew at a 1.1 percent rate. It was below 2015's third quarter, when output rose at a 3.7 percent rate.
The Magnolia State's economy grew 0.5 percent in 2015. State economist Darrin Webb has predicted 2.4 percent growth for 2016.
Uitilities, durable goods manufacturing and finance and insurance were the biggest drivers of Mississippi growth.
Mississippi, which has a roughly $110 billion economy, ranked 32nd for growth among states.