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States where wages are growing fastest in America

·Dom DiFurio

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Did you receive a pay raise this year? If so, and it was enough to offset the increasing prices amid record inflation, polling suggests you're in the minority.

Only 17% of Americans said their wages had kept up with record rates of inflation in early 2022, according to a poll commissioned by The New York Times. The prices of all goods and services went from increasing at a 2% rate annually in March 2021 to 8.5% by March 2022.

Earnings growth largely stagnated over the last decade for the typical American worker, growing at a rate of about 2% each year—a rate that began ticking upward as the COVID-19 pandemic's arrival in 2020 put immense pressure on the U.S. workforce.

Women abandoned the workforce in droves as schools closed temporarily to in-person learning. Many child care providers also were forced to shutter permanently as families sheltered at home. Many older workers nearing retirement left their jobs. Since economies began roaring back to life across the country, employers struggled to find and attract workers and raise pay to entice new hires.

To identify the states where American workers have made the most gains, Stacker collected data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the percent change in average weekly wages by state for the first quarter of 2022. States are ranked based on the percent change between the first quarter of 2021 and 2022. Any ties were broken by looking at a more precise calculation.

With a 2-1 ratio of job openings to people in the workforce for most of this year, workers have discovered newfound leverage to obtain higher pay and benefits by switching jobs.

Connecticut had the largest net change in average weekly wages, with an increase of $145. Connecticut is home to a large financial services industry and a relatively wealthy population compared to the rest of the nation, though, and ranked among the top 10 in terms of year-over-year change. The state that saw the largest percentage increase in wages year over year was Wyoming.

New York has the highest average weekly wages, at $1,972; Mississippi has the lowest, at $879. In Mississippi, however, the typical worker saw their pay increase by $69 from 2021 to 2022, ranking the Southern U.S. state in the upper half of wage growth. Mississippi is among the five states with no minimum wage law, and a legislative proposal to institute and gradually raise a minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2025 failed to become law this year.

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Employees at work inside the offices of Highfive in Redwood City

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1 / 50

#50. California

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 1.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,644
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,627
- Net increase: $17

Front desk registration employees at a hotel

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2 / 50

#49. Maryland

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 2.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,410
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,382
- Net increase: $28

Starbucks employees working

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3 / 50

#48. Washington

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 3.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,596
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,538
- Net increase: $58

Busy intersection in the evening along the famous Kalakaua shopping district

Jeff Whyte // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Hawaii

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 4.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,135
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,089
- Net increase: $46

Ketchikan shopping district

Darryl Brooks // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Alaska

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 4.9%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,178
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,123
- Net increase: $55

Businessman crossing the street on crosswalk

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7 / 50

#44. New York

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 5.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,972
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,868
- Net increase: $104

Employees at work in the Kayak office

Boston Globe // Getty Images

8 / 50

#43. Massachusetts

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 5.9%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,827
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,726
- Net increase: $101

Residential and commercial buildings in West Virginia

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9 / 50

#42. West Virginia

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.1%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $968
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $912
- Net increase: $56

An employee works at her computer in a home and office furniture and accessory store

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11 / 50

#40. New Mexico

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.5%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,018
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $956
- Net increase: $62

The Downtown Mall in Charlottesville

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12 / 50

#39. Virginia

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,366
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,282
- Net increase: $84

Street scene from the town of Newport, Rhode Island

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13 / 50

#38. Rhode Island

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,249
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,170
- Net increase: $79

Workers install solar carport

Joe Ferrer // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Minnesota

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,374
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,287
- Net increase: $87

Aerial view of Jamestown, North Dakota

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16 / 50

#35. North Dakota

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 6.9%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,106
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,035
- Net increase: $71

Window washer stands on ladder holding squeegee

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17 / 50

#34. Missouri

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,128
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,054
- Net increase: $74

Inside of Starbucks in Seattle

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18 / 50

#33. Illinois

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.3%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,487
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,386
- Net increase: $101

Man wearing a headset working at a technology company call center

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19 / 50

#32. Oregon

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.4%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,259
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,172
- Net increase: $87

Phoenix, Arizona, downtown cityscape

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Arizona

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.5%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,234
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,148
- Net increase: $86

View of the skyline of downtown Wilmington

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22 / 50

#29. Delaware

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.5%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,362
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,267
- Net increase: $95

Street view in Louisville downtown

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23 / 50

#28. Kentucky

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,038
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $965
- Net increase: $73

Des Moines Iowa skyline

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24 / 50

#27. Iowa

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,080
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,004
- Net increase: $76

Employees at the Simon Pearce glass company work on a handmade goblet

Robert Nickelsberg // Getty Images

25 / 50

#26. Vermont

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.7%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,107
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,028
- Net increase: $79

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Historic town center of Exeter, New Hampshire

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. New Hampshire

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 7.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,361
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,262
- Net increase: $99

Lobby and front desk of the newly opened hotel

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27 / 50

#24. Nevada

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,164
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,078
- Net increase: $86

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, downtown skyline

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28 / 50

#23. Oklahoma

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,012
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $937
- Net increase: $75

A pharmacy technician grabs a bottle of drugs off a shelve

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29 / 50

#22. Utah

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,152
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,065
- Net increase: $87

Downtown streets of the small tourist town of Red Lodge

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31 / 50

#20. Montana

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.3%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $991
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $915
- Net increase: $76

A worker operating a CNC router mill

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32 / 50

#19. Idaho

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.5%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $982
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $905
- Net increase: $77

Jackson, Mississippi, cityscape at dusk

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33 / 50

#18. Mississippi

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.5%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $879
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $810
- Net increase: $69

Aerial view of the Sioux Falls Suburb of Canton, South Dakota

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. South Dakota

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,012
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $932
- Net increase: $80

New Orleans bars and restaurants in the day

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Louisiana

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.6%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,058
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $974
- Net increase: $84

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Walmart employees sorting products

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36 / 50

#15. Wisconsin

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.7%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,137
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,046
- Net increase: $91

Construction workers in downtown El Paso, Texas

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37 / 50

#14. Texas

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.7%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,369
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,259
- Net increase: $110

Aerial view downtown Atlanta skyline

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38 / 50

#13. Georgia

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,301
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,196
- Net increase: $105

Employees work on LG washing machines

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39 / 50

#12. Tennessee

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 8.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,172
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,077
- Net increase: $95

Aerial view of Lawrence, Kansas

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Kansas

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.0%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,073
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $984
- Net increase: $89

Skyline of Omaha, Nebraska

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42 / 50

#9. Nebraska

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,079
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $988
- Net increase: $91

Greenville, South Carolina, downtown buildings

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. South Carolina

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,043
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $955
- Net increase: $88

Team of consturction workers working with concrete

GREG PATTON // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Connecticut

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,716
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,571
- Net increase: $145

Construction workers welding

Joseph K Fuller // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. North Carolina

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.2%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,241
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,136
- Net increase: $105

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Workers in a car body shop

John Gress Media Inc // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Indiana

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 9.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,127
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,026
- Net increase: $101

Factory worker uses a die cutting machine

Boston Globe // Getty Images

47 / 50

#4. Maine

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 10.3%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,103
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,000
- Net increase: $103

A Target store employee collects shopping carts

Joe Raedle // Getty Images

48 / 50

#3. Florida

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 10.8%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,222
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $1,103
- Net increase: $119

View of Walmart Museum downtown Bentonville, Northwest Arkansas

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49 / 50

#2. Arkansas

- 1-year increase in weekly wages: 10.9%
- Q1 2022 average weekly wages: $1,060
- Q1 2021 average weekly wages: $956
- Net increase: $104

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