Wage Trends by Metro Area
Updated
In the last year, where did wages increase the most overall and where did they dip the deepest? Payscale looked at the top metro areas by population and then listed them from best to worst in terms of wage improvement for jobs. See who came out on top and who has a ways to go.
| Rank | Metro Area | Q1 2023 Year-Over-Year One Year Wage Growth |
| 1 | Tampa Metro Area | 7.4% |
| 2 (tie) | Miami Metro Area | 7.0% |
| 2 (tie) | Orlando Metro Area | 7.0% |
| 4 | San Diego Metro Area | 6.9% |
| 5 (tie) | Phoenix Metro Area | 6.7% |
| 5 (tie) | St. Louis Metro Area | 6.7% |
| 7 | Nashville Metro Area | 6.6% |
| 8 | Charlotte Metro Area | 6.3% |
| 9 (tie) | Atlanta Metro Area | 6.2% |
| 9 (tie) | Cleveland Metro Area | 6.2% |
| 9 (tie) | Kansas City Metro Area | 6.2% |
| 9 (tie) | Portland Metro Area | 6.2% |
| 13 (tie) | Cincinnati Metro Area | 6.1% |
| 13 (tie) | Raleigh Metro Area | 6.1% |
| 15 (tie) | Austin Metro Area | 6.0% |
| 15 (tie) | Dallas Metro Area | 6.0% |
| 15 (tie) | Los Angeles Metro Area | 6.0% |
| 18 (tie) | Chicago Metro Area | 5.9% |
| 18 (tie) | Milwaukee Metro Area | 5.9% |
| 20 (tie) | Denver Metro Area | 5.8% |
| 20 (tie) | Pittsburgh Metro Area | 5.8% |
| 22 (tie) | Houston Metro Area | 5.7% |
| 22 (tie) | Philadelphia Metro Area | 5.7% |
| 24 (tie) | Baltimore Metro Area | 5.6% |
| 24 (tie) | Minneapolis Metro Area | 5.6% |
| 26 | Detroit Metro Area | 5.5% |
| 27 | Washington, DC Metro Area | 5.4% |
| 28 (tie) | Boston Metro Area | 5.3% |
| 28 (tie) | Seattle Metro Area | 5.3% |
| 30 | New York Metro Area | 5.0% |
| 31 | San Francisco Metro Area | 4.0% |
| 32 | San Jose Metro Area | 3.8% |
Methodology for The Payscale Index: Trends in Compensation
The Payscale Index tracks quarterly changes in total cash compensation for full-time, private industry employees and education professionals in the United States. In addition to a national index, it includes separate indices for specific industries, metropolitan areas, job categories, and company sizes. The Payscale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.