Economically speaking, Southwest Mississippi is still lagging behind the rest of the state, Gov. Haley Barbour said Wednesday.

And that concerns him.

“Generally the economy is good,” Barbour said after he spoke to the Rotary Club. “The part of the state I worry about the most is Southwest Mississippi.”

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when manufacturing jobs were decreasing, Natchez felt the brunt, he said.

“I was concerned at the time that those jobs were not replaced quicker,” Barbour said. “Since I’ve been governor I’ve been working with your people to do something that would spark manufacturing again in this area.”

Each portion of the state is different, he said, and state leaders must have varying economic strategies for each area. Those strategies depend largely on the local leaders and residents, he said.

“We try to work with local people and to work with local strengths.”

Barbour said he thinks there’s still a future in manufacturing jobs for Mississippi, even though the industry is on the decline nationally.

Mississippi has a high percentage of manufacturing jobs, and those are some of the state’s highest paying jobs, he said.

But he thinks Adams County has a chance to capitalize on other industries too.

“Y’all have some real advantages here,” Barbour said. “Tourism is becoming a bigger part of the world economy.”

And Natchez is primed to take advantage of a heightened national and world interest in tourism, he said.

Hurricane Katrina left the southern portion of Mississippi with Gulf Opportunity Zone legislation. Local businesses — big or small — can benefit from GoZone tax breaks to upgrade equipment, buy materials or expand.