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 | Q2 2020 Year-Over-Year One Year Wage Growth |
| 1 | Seattle Metro Area | 3.6% |
| 2 | San Jose Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 3 (tie) | Los Angeles Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 3 (tie) | San Diego Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 3 (tie) | San Francisco Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Metro Area | 3.1% |
| 7 (tie) | Cleveland Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 7 (tie) | New York Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 7 (tie) | Portland Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 7 (tie) | St. Louis Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 7 (tie) | Washington, DC Metro Area | 2.9% |
| 12 (tie) | Nashville Metro Area | 2.8% |
| 12 (tie) | Orlando Metro Area | 2.8% |
| 14 (tie) | Denver Metro Area | 2.7% |
| 14 (tie) | Detroit Metro Area | 2.7% |
| 14 (tie) | Milwaukee Metro Area | 2.7% |
| 14 (tie) | Phoenix Metro Area | 2.7% |
| 18 (tie) | Austin Metro Area | 2.5% |
| 18 (tie) | Baltimore Metro Area | 2.5% |
| 18 (tie) | Boston Metro Area | 2.5% |
| 18 (tie) | Cincinnati Metro Area | 2.5% |
| 22 (tie) | Charlotte Metro Area | 2.4% |
| 22 (tie) | Philadelphia Metro Area | 2.4% |
| 24 | Tampa Metro Area | 2.3% |
| 25 | Dallas Metro Area | 2.2% |
| 26 (tie) | Miami Metro Area | 2.0% |
| 26 (tie) | Raleigh Metro Area | 2.0% |
| 28 | Chicago Metro Area | 1.9% |
| 29 | Kansas City Metro Area | 1.8% |
| 30 | Atlanta Metro Area | 1.7% |
| 31 | Minneapolis Metro Area | 1.4% |
| 32 | Houston Metro Area | 1.1% |
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.