Cities with the biggest pay hikes

One-year pay increase: 2%

Detroit's economy has long hinged on the fortunes of the Big Three auto makers. And recently things are looking up.

Total auto sales rose 11% year-over-year in August to their highest level since the recession.

"Both GM (GM) and Ford (F) have outperformed profit expectations and, since 2011, Big Three wages have been rising strongly," said Bardaro.

That's some rare good news for the area, especially given that, in July, the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection.

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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