This editorial is part of our GREAT DEBATE feature 'Where Will Americans Be Living In 20 Years?'
Unemployment is still a major problem in the United States.
But it looks like we're finally making our way out of the recession, at least in terms of pay wages.
PayScale recently released an index of how many times private-sector wages have changed since 2006. The results for Q1 of 2012 look promising.
In this quarter, U.S. wages finally rose above the level where they peaked in Q4 of 2008.
The index considers how much pay has changed for particular jobs, but does not account for differences in compensation based on experience or other outlying factors, said PayScale Analytics Manager Katie Bardaro.
These cities had the biggest wage increases last year >
MORE: 'Where Will Americans Be Living In 20 Years?' at The Great Debate →
#10 Baltimore, Md.
Quarterly change: 1.3 % increase
2012 Q1 PayScale Index: 109.0
2011 Q4 PayScale Index: 107.6
Source: PayScale tracks the level of wage changes jobs have experienced since 2006. The index is a percent that has been multiplied by 100, which is the baseline figure used for 2006.
MORE: 'Where Will Americans Be Living In 20 Years?' at The Great Debate →
#9 San Diego, Calif.
Quarterly change: 0.4% increase
2012 Q1 PayScale Index: 105.3
2011 Q4 PayScale Index: 104.9
Source: PayScale tracks the level of wage changes jobs have experienced since 2006. The index is a percent that has been multiplied by 100, which is the baseline figure used for 2006.
MORE: 'Where Will Americans Be Living In 20 Years?' at The Great Debate →
#8 Philadelphia, Pa.
Quarterly change: 0.4 % increase
2012 Q1 PayScale Index: 106.6
2011 Q4 PayScale Index: 106.2
Source: PayScale tracks the level of wage changes jobs have experienced since 2006. The index is a percent that has been multiplied by 100, which is the baseline figure used for 2006.
MORE: 'Where Will Americans Be Living In 20 Years?' at The Great Debate →
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
