Pay Raises In These CA Cities Failed To Keep Up With Inflation: Ranking

CALIFORNIA — Salaries have failed to keep pace in recent years with rising costs nationwide, and four California metropolitan areas are among the places hardest hit, according to a recent ranking from Upgraded Points.

The travel and finance website compiled a list of 21 metros where salaries have kept up the least with price increases, and San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Riverside were all included in the ranking.

“While wages have grown in nominal terms, many workers feel they are falling behind as the cost of essentials — housing, groceries, and everyday expenses — continues to climb,” according to Upgraded Points, which used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data between late 2020-24 to determine the list.

Nationally during those four years, nominal wages went up 17.3 percent but prices rose a cumulative 21.2 percent, resulting in a 3.2 percent drop in real earnings, the website reported.

As for California, San Diego fared the worst at ninth on the list, with 13 percent actual wage growth but 22.7 percent overall price growth leading to real wage growth of -7.9 percent, according to Upgraded Points. San Francisco was 11th with -7.2 percent real wage growth, followed by Los Angeles at 13th with -6.1 percent and Riverside at 14th with -5.6 percent.

Baltimore was hardest hit at No. 1 with -14 percent real wage growth, the website reported, adding the only large metros that saw real wage gains after inflation adjustment were Tampa at 3.5 percent and Houston at 6.3 percent.