Here's where wages are rising the most
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Benton County, Arkansas, saw the most wage growth among large U.S. counties between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025, per new federal data, with average weekly pay up 14.6%.
By the numbers: Following Benton were San Mateo County, California (+11.4%); Monmouth County, New Jersey (+10.9%) and New York County, New York (+10.6%; that's Manhattan).
- New York and San Mateo counties were also home to the country's highest average weekly wages overall in Q1 2025, at about $4,500 and $4,400, respectively.
How it works: That's per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released data for the country's 372 largest counties.
Zoom in: "Within Benton, an average weekly wage gain of $860 (+19.1%) in professional and business services made the largest contribution to the county's increase in average weekly wages," per BLS.
- Benton County is home to Walmart, transportation giant J.B. Hunt and other major employers.
Zoom out: Nationally, average weekly wages rose 4.1% to $1,589.
- Yes, but: Inflation rose about 2.7% during the period, taking a bite out of those gains.
Between the lines: Dozens of cities, counties and states raised their minimum wage back in January.
Reality check: Looking at wage growth for all residents only tells part of the story.
- Broadly speaking, men's wages rose last year while women's pay stagnated, Axios' Emily Peck reported — "a worrying sign that the slow march toward pay equity for women is stumbling."
Go deeper: Inflation and unemployment filings are up, with no silver lining this time
