Cities with the biggest pay hikes

One-year pay increase: 2.5%

The Deep South's largest metro area is home to several major corporations and some, like Home Depot (HD) and insurer Aflac, have started to hire more workers as the economy improves, according to PayScale's Bardaro.

The area received another lift after professional services firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young) opened a new office in the suburb of Alpharetta, adding 400 jobs.

The transportation field is another strong point for the area. Atlanta is a major transportation hub for the Southeastern U.S. The city's airport is the world's busiest, with wages in the transportation sector growing by 3% year-over-year.

First published October 16, 2013: 7:26 AM ET

Source: PayScale
The PayScale Index tracks changes in the earnings of full-time private industry employees on a quarterly basis. It takes into account total cash compensation, which is defined as all cash payments earned by an employee during a year of full-time employment. This report is based on the year-over-year percentage change in compensation for the 12 months ending September 30, 2013. (More on the methodology).

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