Wages Grew 4% or Faster in One in Eight Large U.S. Counties

Pay for workers in more than one in eight large U.S. counties rose faster than 4% in the third quarter of 2015 from a year earlier, showing pockets of the country are experiencing outsize gains amid tepid overall growth.

Average weekly wages increased 2.6% nationwide in the third quarter of 2015 from a year earlier, a still historically modest rate that helps explain why the broader economy has struggled to accelerate.

But in places from Music City to the Chicago suburbs to the California coast, wages are growing much faster. Weekly wages grew 4% or better in 44 of the 342 U.S. counties with at least 75,000 jobs, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday. Meanwhile, wages fell from a year earlier in 21 counties, including Midland, Texas, andUnion, N.J.