U.S. Wages Grow 2.7% in April Year Over Year, Pay on the Rise for Many Retail Jobs

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According to job site Glassdoor, the annual median base pay in the United States grew 2.7 percent year over year in April 2017 to $51,350. The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports show pay growth decelerated slightly from the 2.8 percent revised pay growth recorded last month, marking a three-month long downward trend: U.S. pay growth peaked in December at 3.1 percent. Retail jobs showed above-average wage growth across the U.S. as a whole and in each metro covered by the reports. The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports provide a unique view into the country's wage picture with salary estimates for 60 job titles across multiple industries and year-over-year (YOY) pay growth trends in the United States. The reports now include details on 10 major metros: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.1

"While we have experienced a slight decline in wage growth during the first few months of this year, April's growth is strong and is well above 2016's average of 2.3 percent and 2015's 1.9 percent growth. The job market continues to be fast-growing and we are seeing big gains in salaries for jobs that are typically low-wage, like restaurant cook and customer service manager," said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor. 

Five New Markets Added to Local Pay Reports; Houston, Philadelphia Lag Behind National Average Growth 

Glassdoor is now tracking an additional five markets for its Local Pay Reports: Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C., bringing the report to 10 metro areas and the U.S. total. 

While the U.S. continues to see steady growth in salaries, Houston and Philadelphia wages lagged far behind. Houston continues to fall below the national average with the median base pay rising only 1.0 percent YOY to $54,410 – nearly 2 percentage points less than the national average. Houston has had below average wage growth for 16 of the past 17 consecutive months, primarily due to continued softening in the energy sector. Philadelphia also showed slow wage growth of 1.6 percent YOY with a median base pay of $54,408 in April, compared to 2.0 percent in the previous month. 

Fastest growing among the markets we track was Los Angeles, with pay growth in April at 3.8 percent YOY, bringing the median annual pay to $59,639. Seattle, another new metro added this month, had a wage increase of 3.1 percent. The city's median base pay notched up to $59,585, and the pay growth is largely due to the number of technology companies headquartered in the Pacific Northwest city.