Manufacturing is the industry where "what does workers' comp cost" depends most on what you actually make. Premium is (payroll ÷ 100) × class-code rate × experience mod, and manufacturing rates span a very wide range: light assembly or electronics might rate around $1–$3 per $100 of payroll, while heavy metal fabrication, woodworking, and machinery-intensive plants can rate several times higher. In 2026 a small Mississippi shop with a clean record might pay a few thousand dollars a year, while a mid-size fabrication plant with real production payroll can pay tens of thousands to well over $100,000. The class code — set by your product — drives the cost far more than the fact that you're in Mississippi.
Every workers' comp premium starts the same way. Take your annual payroll, divide by 100, multiply by the rate for your class code, then multiply by your experience modification factor. In manufacturing the class-code piece carries more weight than almost anywhere else, because the rate gap between a light assembler and a heavy fabricator is enormous. That's why the honest answer to "what does workers' comp cost my plant" always starts with what do you build, and what machines and processes are involved.
There is no single "manufacturing" class code. NCCI assigns the code by the product and process, and each carries its own rate. Common families include:
The takeaway: your rate is a function of your process. A plant that runs a table saw or a press brake all day is in a different world from one assembling circuit boards — and getting the exact right code applied to the exact right payroll is where real money is won or lost.
Say a Mississippi metal-fabrication shop runs $700,000 of production payroll under a fabrication class code, plus $120,000 of clerical and outside-sales payroll that's correctly split out. If the production rate is roughly $5 per $100 of payroll and the office rate is around $0.30, the manual premium looks like this:
| Payroll bucket | Payroll | Rate / $100 | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal fabrication (production) | $700,000 | $5.00 | $35,000 |
| Clerical / sales | $120,000 | $0.30 | $360 |
| Subtotal (manual) | $35,360 | ||
Now apply the experience mod. At a clean 0.85 mod, that's roughly $30,060. At a claims-driven 1.25 mod, the same payroll costs about $44,200 — a swing of more than $14,000 a year on identical work. And because Mississippi carriers apply their own loss cost multipliers, a second carrier could quote that manual base 15–25% higher or lower before the mod is even applied. (Rates here are illustrative to show the mechanics, not a quote — your real class-code rates depend on NCCI loss costs and the carrier's filed multiplier.)
Mississippi is an NCCI state. The National Council on Compensation Insurance files advisory loss costs by class code, and then each carrier files and applies its own loss cost multiplier and appetite on top. The practical effect: two admitted carriers can quote the same Mississippi manufacturer meaningfully different premiums for identical payroll and class codes, because their multipliers and their willingness to write your process differ. For higher-hazard fabrication, fewer carriers compete, so the spread between an eager market and a reluctant one widens — and taking the first quote is how manufacturers overpay without knowing it.
Mississippi generally requires workers' compensation for employers with five or more employees. For most manufacturers that threshold is crossed almost immediately — a production line rarely runs on fewer than five people — so comp is effectively mandatory for any real plant. That five-employee line matters more for a very small startup shop than for an established manufacturer. Confirm current rules and any exemptions with the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission.
Manufacturing losses cluster around a familiar set: machine-related injuries like lacerations and amputations, repetitive-motion and ergonomic injuries from assembly and lifting, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and back injuries from material handling. Each claim feeds your experience mod for three years, so machine guarding, ergonomic redesign of repetitive stations, and a real return-to-work program aren't just compliance boxes — they're the direct levers that keep your mod, and therefore every future premium, down.
Underwriters and auditors price to what you can document. The highest-leverage moves:
The goal isn't just the lowest number — it's a program that actually gets bound, audited fairly, and won't be non-renewed next year. A rock-bottom quote from a carrier with no real appetite for your process can evaporate at renewal and leave a plant scrambling for a market mid-year. The right question is "which carrier genuinely wants my type of manufacturing in Mississippi, at a mod and classification that hold up at audit" — and answering it is what an independent agency is for.
Bettr Coverage shops Mississippi manufacturing workers' comp, property, and liability across carriers with real appetite for your process — then structures the program to hold up at audit. One agency, the full picture, no first-quote guesswork.
Get a free coverage reviewIt depends on what you make. It's payroll ÷ 100 × class-code rate × experience mod. Light assembly can rate around $1–$3 per $100 of payroll; heavy fabrication and woodworking rate several times higher. A small clean-record shop might pay a few thousand a year; a mid-size fabrication plant can pay tens of thousands to over $100,000.
Generally yes for employers with five or more employees. Most manufacturers cross that threshold immediately, so coverage is effectively mandatory for any real plant.
Mississippi uses NCCI advisory loss costs, then each carrier files its own loss cost multiplier and appetite. For higher-hazard processes fewer carriers compete, so the spread on the same payroll and class codes can be wide.
The class code (set by your product and process), total payroll, and the experience mod. Machine guarding, classification accuracy, and carrier appetite also move the number significantly.
The class code follows the process, and manufacturing rates vary more than almost any industry. Running a press brake or table saw is rated very differently than assembling electronics.
Machine lacerations and amputations, repetitive-motion and ergonomic injuries, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and material-handling back injuries. Each feeds the mod for three years, so guarding and ergonomics pay off directly.
For general information only. Not a quote or contract of insurance. Premium ranges and rates are illustrative and vary by carrier, class code, payroll, experience mod, and underwriting. Workers' compensation requirements and exemptions are set by Mississippi law — confirm current rules with the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission. Coverage subject to policy terms and carrier appetite.