ADP report highlights local wage growth across U.S. metropolitan areas

ADP has released its August 2026 Pay Insights report, introducing enhanced data granularity to help employers track local wage trends across 56 U.S. metropolitan areas. The report emphasizes that local pay rates often fluctuate independently of national trends due to specific regional industries and worker demographics.

Nationally, base pay increased by 3.2% for all workers, while gross pay saw a 4.7% increase. The report identifies 11 metropolitan areas with the highest year-over-year base pay growth, led by the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut area with 6% growth. Other high-growth regions include Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas; and several areas in Florida, California, and Washington.