The Top 20 U.S. Metros for Year-End 2012 Pay Increases

The December jobs report released Friday showed little improvement in the overall American economy since November. The unemployment rate remained at 7.8 percent and just over 150,000 jobs were added, not a particularly thrilling start to the new year.

While U.S. employment may not be growing rapidly, an analysis released today by PayScale.com, a site that collects salary and career data, notes that wages and salaries in the 20 largest United States metros did see real increases over the last 12 months. This report follows a striking first quarter of last year, when the same company reported that national wages had increased the most in that quarter since 2008.