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.
Wage Trends by Metro Area
| Rank | Metro Area | Q2 2019 Year-Over-Year One Year Wage Growth |
| 1 | San Francisco Metro Area | 4.5% |
| 2 | Milwaukee Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 3 | Portland Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 4 | Austin Metro Area | 3.1% |
| 5 | Denver Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 6 | San Jose Metro Area | 2.8% |
| 7 | Minneapolis Metro Area | 2.6% |
| 8 (tie) | Atlanta Metro Area | 2.5% |
| Seattle Metro Area | 2.5% | |
| Detroit Metro Area | 2.5% | |
| Charlotte Metro Area | 2.5% | |
| 12 | St. Louis Metro Area | 2.4% |
| 13 | Philadelphia Metro Area | 2.3% |
| 14 (tie) | Boston Metro Area | 2.2% |
| Kansas City Metro Area | 2.2% | |
| 16 (tie) | Baltimore Metro Area | 2.1% |
| Raleigh Metro Area | 2.1% | |
| New York Metro Area | 2.1% | |
| 19 (tie) | Orlando Metro Area | 2.0% |
| Chicago Metro Area | 2.0% | |
| 21 (tie) | Nashville Metro Area | 1.9% |
| Cincinnati Metro Area | 1.9% | |
| Washington, DC Metro Area | 1.9% | |
| 24 | Tampa Metro Area | 1.7% |
| 25 (tie) | Los Angeles Metro Area | 1.6% |
| Dallas Metro Area | 1.6% | |
| 27 | Miami Metro Area | 1.5% |
| 28 | San Diego Metro Area | 1.4% |
| 29 | Phoenix Metro Area | 1.3% |
| 30 | Houston Metro Area | 1.2% |
| 31 | Pittsburgh Metro Area | 0.8% |
| 32 | Cleveland Metro Area | 0.7% |
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.