Wages vs inflation rankings
Compare BLS/OEWS average wage growth against CPI price growth over the matched wage-data period for each location.
| Rank | Metro | Period | Wage growth | Inflation | Wage-inflation gap | Data coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose | 2005-2025 | 105.6% | 47.0% | 58.6% | regional proxy cpi |
| 2 | Seattle | 2005-2025 | 104.3% | 49.4% | 55.0% | direct metro cpi |
| 3 | San Francisco | 2005-2025 | 100.0% | 49.7% | 50.3% | direct metro cpi |
| 4 | Phoenix | 2005-2025 | 94.1% | 48.2% | 45.9% | direct metro cpi |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 2005-2025 | 97.0% | 51.7% | 45.3% | regional proxy cpi |
| 6 | San Diego | 2005-2025 | 90.0% | 47.0% | 42.9% | regional proxy cpi |
| 7 | Tampa | 2005-2025 | 93.4% | 51.1% | 42.3% | regional proxy cpi |
| 8 | Portland | 2005-2025 | 94.9% | 52.6% | 42.2% | direct metro cpi |
| 9 | Jacksonville | 2005-2025 | 87.9% | 48.2% | 39.7% | regional proxy cpi |
| 10 | San Antonio | 2005-2025 | 87.1% | 48.2% | 38.9% | regional proxy cpi |
| 11 | Los Angeles | 2005-2025 | 86.6% | 47.9% | 38.6% | direct metro cpi |
| 12 | Nashville | 2005-2025 | 86.0% | 47.6% | 38.4% | regional proxy cpi |
| 13 | Pittsburgh | 2005-2025 | 84.7% | 46.7% | 38.0% | direct metro cpi |
| 14 | New Orleans | 2005-2025 | 86.4% | 48.8% | 37.6% | regional proxy cpi |
| 15 | Austin | 2005-2025 | 92.2% | 55.6% | 36.5% | regional proxy cpi |
| 16 | New York City | 2005-2025 | 82.9% | 46.5% | 36.4% | direct metro cpi |
| 17 | Baltimore | 2005-2025 | 85.1% | 49.4% | 35.8% | regional proxy cpi |
| 18 | United States | 2003-2025 | 92.7% | 57.5% | 35.2% | national cpi |
| 19 | Denver | 2005-2025 | 91.7% | 57.2% | 34.5% | direct metro cpi |
| 20 | Orlando | 2005-2025 | 84.9% | 51.8% | 33.2% | regional proxy cpi |
| 21 | Dallas | 2005-2025 | 80.8% | 47.9% | 32.9% | direct metro cpi |
| 22 | Miami | 2005-2025 | 84.2% | 51.4% | 32.8% | direct metro cpi |
| 23 | Virginia Beach | 2005-2025 | 80.3% | 48.2% | 32.2% | regional proxy cpi |
| 24 | Providence | 2003-2025 | 90.9% | 58.9% | 32.1% | regional proxy cpi |
| 25 | Raleigh | 2005-2025 | 84.5% | 52.6% | 31.9% | regional proxy cpi |
| 26 | Sacramento | 2005-2025 | 84.4% | 52.9% | 31.5% | regional proxy cpi |
| 27 | Atlanta | 2005-2025 | 78.8% | 48.2% | 30.6% | direct metro cpi |
| 28 | Louisville | 2005-2025 | 79.3% | 48.8% | 30.5% | regional proxy cpi |
| 29 | Richmond | 2005-2025 | 78.5% | 48.5% | 30.1% | regional proxy cpi |
| 30 | Las Vegas | 2005-2025 | 76.5% | 47.6% | 28.9% | regional proxy cpi |
| 31 | Chicago | 2005-2025 | 78.7% | 49.9% | 28.7% | direct metro cpi |
| 32 | Cincinnati | 2005-2025 | 78.9% | 50.5% | 28.4% | direct metro cpi |
| 33 | Buffalo | 2005-2025 | 84.6% | 56.3% | 28.4% | regional proxy cpi |
| 34 | Kansas City | 2005-2025 | 74.1% | 46.8% | 27.4% | direct metro cpi |
| 35 | Riverside | 2005-2025 | 77.5% | 50.3% | 27.2% | regional proxy cpi |
| 36 | Boston | 2005-2025 | 77.3% | 50.2% | 27.0% | direct metro cpi |
| 37 | Washington DC | 2005-2025 | 83.9% | 56.9% | 27.0% | direct metro cpi |
| 38 | Oklahoma City | 2005-2025 | 79.9% | 54.4% | 25.5% | regional proxy cpi |
| 39 | Charlotte | 2005-2025 | 79.1% | 53.8% | 25.2% | regional proxy cpi |
| 40 | Houston | 2005-2025 | 73.8% | 48.8% | 25.0% | direct metro cpi |
| 41 | Indianapolis | 2005-2025 | 76.3% | 51.4% | 24.9% | regional proxy cpi |
| 42 | Cleveland | 2005-2025 | 72.0% | 47.3% | 24.6% | direct metro cpi |
| 43 | St. Louis | 2005-2025 | 75.0% | 50.8% | 24.2% | direct metro cpi |
| 44 | Memphis | 2005-2025 | 72.5% | 48.5% | 24.0% | regional proxy cpi |
| 45 | Columbus | 2005-2025 | 76.6% | 54.1% | 22.5% | regional proxy cpi |
| 46 | Birmingham | 2005-2025 | 72.8% | 50.8% | 22.0% | regional proxy cpi |
| 47 | Philadelphia | 2005-2025 | 73.4% | 53.5% | 19.9% | direct metro cpi |
| 48 | Milwaukee | 2005-2025 | 72.6% | 57.2% | 15.4% | direct metro cpi |
| 49 | Minneapolis | 2005-2025 | 70.2% | 55.7% | 14.5% | direct metro cpi |
| 50 | Hartford | 2005-2025 | 68.1% | 55.4% | 12.7% | regional proxy cpi |
| 51 | Detroit | 2005-2025 | 56.9% | 56.0% | 0.9% | direct metro cpi |