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 2022 Year-Over-Year One Year Wage Growth |
| 1 | Orlando Metro Area | 4.9% |
| 2 | Atlanta Metro Area | 4.7% |
| 3 | Austin Metro Area | 4.6% |
| 4 (tie) | Charlotte Metro Area | 4.2% |
| 4 (tie) | Miami Metro Area | 4.2% |
| 4 (tie) | Nashville Metro Area | 4.2% |
| 7 | Phoenix Metro Area | 4.1% |
| 8 (tie) | Dallas Metro Area | 4.0% |
| 8 (tie) | San Diego Metro Area | 4.0% |
| 10 | Tampa Metro Area | 3.8% |
| 11 (tie) | Cincinnati Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 11 (tie) | Detroit Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 11 (tie) | Houston Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 11 (tie) | Los Angeles Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 15 | Philadelphia Metro Area | 3.6% |
| 16 (tie) | Baltimore Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 16 (tie) | Chicago Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 16 (tie) | Denver Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 16 (tie) | Kansas City Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Metro Area | 3.4% |
| 21 (tie) | Boston Metro Area | 3.3% |
| 21 (tie) | Cleveland Metro Area | 3.3% |
| 23 (tie) | New York Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 23 (tie) | Portland Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 25 | Raleigh Metro Area | 3.1% |
| 26 | Minneapolis Metro Area | 3.0% |
| 27 | Washington, DC Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 28 | Milwaukee Metro Area | 2.7% |
| 29 | St. Louis Metro Area | 2.6% |
| 30 | San Jose Metro Area | 2.5% |
| 31 (tie) | San Francisco Metro Area | 2.4% |
| 31 (tie) | Seattle Metro Area | 2.4% |
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.