Because the state of Mississippi does not have a Prevailing Wage law, the federal government’s Department of Labor determines the prevailing wage rate.  The rate is based on the hourly rate paid on public works projects to a majority of workers engaged in a particular craft, classification, or type of work.  The rates are based on workers located within the locality or on the labor market area nearest to them.  If there is no single rate paid to a majority, the single (or modal) rate being paid to the greater number of workers is the Prevailing Wage Determination.