15 U.S. Cities Where Median Income Growth Crushed Inflation

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The Consumer Price Index shot up by about 13.5% in the 24 months from the start of 2021 to the end of 2022, but the median income across major U.S. cities increased by only 8.1% over the same period, according to a recent report from SmartAsset. As a result, inflation undercut many Americans’ wages.

However, workers in some cities were able to stay abreast of and even beat consumer cost increases. 

To find out where Americans were most affected by income changes over one year, SmartAsset researchers examined data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey, released in mid-September, and compared median household income in 2022 with that in 2021 for 349 U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000 in 2022.

The analysis showed that income grew by about 30% in just one year in three cities. At the other end of the spectrum, income decreased by more than 10% in the three worst-affected cities.

See the accompanying gallery for the 15 U.S. cities that enjoyed the biggest median income growth between 2021 and 2022.

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