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 | Q4 2024 Year-Over-Year One Year Wage Growth |
| 1 | Kansas City Metro Area | 5.1% |
| 2 | Houston Metro Area | 4.7% |
| 3 | Los Angeles Metro Area | 4.6% |
| 4 (tie) | Charlotte Metro Area | 4.5% |
| 4 (tie) | Miami Metro Area | 4.5% |
| 6 | Dallas Metro Area | 4.3% |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Metro Area | 4.2% |
| 8 (tie) | Philadelphia Metro Area | 4.1% |
| 8 (tie) | Phoenix Metro Area | 4.1% |
| 10 | Boston Metro Area | 4.0% |
| 11 (tie) | Cleveland Metro Area | 3.9% |
| 11 (tie) | Seattle Metro Area | 3.9% |
| 11 (tie) | Washington, DC Metro Area | 3.9% |
| 14 (tie) | Atlanta Metro Area | 3.8% |
| 14 (tie) | Austin Metro Area | 3.8% |
| 14 (tie) | Chicago Metro Area | 3.8% |
| 14 (tie) | Detroit Metro Area | 3.8% |
| 18 (tie) | Minneapolis Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 18 (tie) | New York Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 18 (tie) | Portland Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 18 (tie) | Tampa Metro Area | 3.7% |
| 22 (tie) | Denver Metro Area | 3.6% |
| 22 (tie) | Orlando Metro Area | 3.6% |
| 24 (tie) | Baltimore Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 24 (tie) | San Diego Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 24 (tie) | San Jose Metro Area | 3.5% |
| 27 | Raleigh Metro Area | 3.4% |
| 28 (tie) | San Francisco Metro Area | 3.3% |
| 28 (tie) | St. Louis Metro Area | 3.3% |
| 30 | Cincinnati Metro Area | 3.2% |
| 31 | Nashville Metro Area | 3.1% |
| 32 | Milwaukee Metro Area | 2.9% |
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.