As Congress debates how to make daily life more affordable for everyday Americans, most of Mississippi’s congressional delegation is much wealthier than the average Mississippian, a NOTUS analysis of congressional personal financial records indicates.

This includes two congressmen — Democrat Bennie Thompson and Republican Michael Guest — whose median net worths are in the millions. Mississippi members’ wealth is being driven primarily by financial assets, such as individual stocks, and business interests.

Guest’s median net worth sits at $9.7 million, NOTUS found, making him many, many times wealthier than the average Mississippian, as the state’s median household income is $56,447, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Guest — a member of Congress since 2019 — is chairman of the House Ethics Committee, which in part enforces the House’s code of conduct and laws including the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act. He holds a few individual stocks in companies such as Meta and Exxon Mobil, but most of his wealth is held in municipal bonds for localities and institutions throughout Mississippi, plus pooled investment securities.

Guest himself violated the STOCK Act in 2021 after failing to disclose several energy-related stock trades on time, according to Business Insider.

Thompson, meanwhile, had a median net worth of $3.3 million in 2024.

That’s up from $2.5 million in 2023 and about $682,000 in 2021, congressional financial records show.

Thompson has served in Congress since 1993, making him the delegation’s most senior member and one of Congress’ longest-serving members. Thompson chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 riots and is the ranking member on the Committee on Homeland Security.

But NOTUS identified errors in Thompson’s disclosures.

In 2022, the congressman reported earning between $1 million and $5 million on each of two property transactions.

In one of the reported transactions, Thompson disclosed being compensated at least $1 million by Entergy, Mississippi’s preeminent power company, for access to his land in Jackson, Mississippi. But Thompson’s previous and current financial disclosures say that the two plots of land together are worth $50,000 at most.

Yasmine Brown, Thompson’s communications director, told NOTUS that he granted Entergy an easement — the legal right to use his land — and that “the reported dollar amount on the easement granted was an error in the reporting process.” Entergy spokeswoman Leyla Goodsell, with Thompson’s permission, confirmed that the transaction took place and that Thompson was only compensated $2,000.

“This amount was consistent with market values for similar right-of-way needs at that time,” she said.

In the second transaction, Thompson reported selling a plot of land in Mound Bayou, Mississippi — worth $15,000 at most per previous disclosures — to a church for $1 million to $5 million. Land records confirm that Thompson’s spouse transferred ownership of the land to a church in 2022.

Thompson’s office confirmed the discrepancy but did not offer details as to how the error occurred or the actual value of the transaction.

Thompson personally signed and certified the erroneous disclosure.

House ethics disclosures are mandated to promote transparency, increase confidence in government integrity and deter conflicts of interest — members of Congress have a responsibility to ensure the documents are accurate. Thompson’s office did not respond when asked if they had been in contact with the House Ethics Committee to resolve the errors.

Thompson owns land throughout the region he represents through BLB Enterprises, a company formed by his spouse to hold rental investment properties. In addition to land ownership, he holds wealth in multiple fixed index annuities purchased in 2023 and 2024, which together make up a significant portion of his reported assets.

When lawmakers fill out their annual financial disclosures, they report the value of their assets and liabilities in ranges, including open-ended ranges such as “over $50,000,000.” As such, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact net worth.

So to estimate members’ net worths, NOTUS used those ranges to calculate the minimum and maximum possible values of their total reported assets and liabilities. NOTUS subtracted each lawmaker’s maximum liabilities from their minimum assets to determine what their net worth could be on the high end, then subtracted minimum liabilities from maximum assets to set the low end. The midpoint between those two numbers is what we’re reporting as each lawmaker’s estimated median net worth.

The data is invaluable but imperfect. Lawmakers, for example, do not have to report the value of their personal residence, vehicles or personal property such as art that does not generate income. They are also allowed to report the value of pensions and intellectual property as “undetermined.” (Read more about how NOTUS calculated net worth and what’s included and not included here.)

Lawmakers are required to report what stocks they own among their assets.

Mississippi’s agrarian economy is reflected in the disclosures of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who reported owning a cattle farm. The Republican senator reported generating between $1,001 and $2,500 from her Brookhaven farm, where she raises cattle and sells beef.

Hyde-Smith’s median net worth is about $932,000. In addition to the value of her farm, her largest asset, she holds individual stock in the telecommunications company CenturyLink — now known as Lumen — with the rest of her wealth in annuities, IRAs and mutual funds.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., addresses the Mississippi State Senate on March 28, 2024, in their chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson. Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican who first came to Congress as a member of the House in 1994 and is the state’s senior senator, holds individual stocks in Walmart, Merck and Renasant Corp. He has previously faced criticism for his corporate securities ownership in Walmart because the company falls under his jurisdiction on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Wicker reported that stock in the company, held by his spouse, jumped in value, from between $15,001 and $50,000 in the report covering 2019, to between $50,001 and $100,00 in his most recent filing. Wicker, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, reported that his liabilities exceed his assets. Rep. Mike Ezell joins Wicker as the only other lawmaker in the delegation to have a median net worth in the red.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2025. Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP

Rep. Trent Kelly, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has a median net worth of about $350,000, buoyed by a rental home and his retirement plans.

Mississippi consistently ranks as one of the poorest U.S. states, but it is also among those with the lowest cost of living.

Mississippi is also frequently cited as having severe wealth disparities. Despite its lower-than-average median household income, the state is home to 47,279 millionaire households, or about 4.2% of all households in the state, according to Kipliner.

NOTUS reached out to the offices of Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Kelly, Ezell and Guest, and none responded to requests for comment.