While the average worker in the U.S. saw their wages rise 1.7% over the past year, workers in these 5 cities saw a more generous bump during the third quarter, according to PayScale.
San Francisco
One-year pay increase: 3.7%
It's not just the tech industry that's keeping San Francisco's workforce humming. Several industries in the metro area have been performing (and paying) well lately, according toPayScale, which tracked year-over-year wage growth across close to two dozen industries.
After several years of stagnant growth, workers in the media and publishing industry saw wages climb 3.9% in the past year. Meanwhile, science and biotech workers saw incomes grow by an average of 3.1% -- thanks, in part, to demand for workers in fields like pharmaceuticals.
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With hundreds of tech and software startups, the metro area depends on fewer large employers and that has also helped. Nationwide, small company wages grew by 2.5% over the 12 months ended September 30, much faster than wages at big companies (up 1%) or mid-sized ones (just 0.4% higher).
Baltimore
One-year pay increase: 3%
After several years of sluggish wage growth, workers in Baltimore are starting to see fatter paychecks, according to Katie Bardaro, lead economist at PayScale.
Home to investment firms like T. Rowe Price (TROW) and Legg Mason (LTSPRA), the financial and professional services industries have seen average pay increases of 1.7% over the past year. And with many world-renowned medical facilities, including Johns Hopkins and Sinai Hospital of Baltimore , the healthcare and tech services industries are also seeing a bump in pay.
At the Port of Baltimore, larger cranes and other facilities are being added in anticipation of a major boost in cargo traffic when the expanded Panama Canal starts operating in 2015. The port currently employs 14,630 workers.
Seattle
One-year pay increase: 2.7%
Workers in Seattle are in a sweet spot right now.
Over the past 12 months, 52,000 jobs have been added in the metro area.
That's thanks in part to three major industries -- technology, manufacturing and business support services (everything from office cleaners to payroll services) -- which have been hiring at a faster than average rate and boosting pay as well.
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Factory wages, for example, have risen by an average 2.1% over the past 12 months, while IT workers saw their pay climb by 2.3% over the past year, PayScale reported.
Atlanta
One-year pay increase: 2.5%
The Deep South's largest metro area is home to several major corporations and some, likeHome Depot (HD, Fortune 500) and insurer Aflac, have started to hire more workers as the economy improves, according to PayScale's Bardaro.
The area received another lift after professional services firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young)opened a new office in the suburb of Alpharetta, adding 400 jobs.
The transportation field is another strong point for the area. Atlanta is a major transportation hub for the Southeastern U.S. The city's airport is the world's busiest, with wages in the transportation sector growing by 3% year-over-year.
Dallas
One-year pay increase: 2.5%
Located between the Permian Basin, the Gulf of Mexico and the oil fields of Oklahoma, Dallas is at the heart of the oil and gas boom.
"If there's a lot of oil near you, it generates a lot of money," said Bardaro.
Dallas is also a major transportation and storage hub, with wages in those industries up 2.5% year-over-year, said Bardaro. The metro area has two main interstates running through it, as well as the two biggest rail freight carriers in the nation, and its airport, Dallas/Ft. Worth International, is the third busiest in the world.
All of this has helped to keep Dallas' economy growing. The unemployment rate in July was 6.4%, down from 7.2% a year ago.
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