According to the quarterly PayScale Index, wages have risen 7.4 percent overall since 2006. But you'd never know it, because when you take inflation into account and look at what those wages can actually purchase, they've actually fallen closer to 7.9 percent. Nevertheless, improvement is anticipated for 2014's third quarter, to the tune of a 1.9 percent increase in wage growth.
This is good news for people working in the mining, transportation, and real estate industries, which saw the most growth in Q2. But what about which cities have had the most significant wage increases this year? We'd wait for the Q3 report before you start considering a move, but for now let's take a look at the top 10.
Take a bow, Houston residents! It must be mentioned, however, that these cities have a high cost of living to go along with their wage growth--New York and San Francisco in particular make frequent appearances on lists of the nation's most expensive places to live. As for the cities where wages have actually decreased over the past year, well, best of luck in the next quarter, Miami, Phoenix, and Riverside, California.
Head over to PayScale for more from the report, or just check out this interactive chart to explore trends by industry, job category, and metro area.
