Boston-area wages grew 6.1% in the last year, the biggest gain since 2006

In the last year, Boston-area workers saw the biggest wage gains since 2006, State House News Service (SHNS) reported Monday.

Boston area wages and salaries from March 2021 to March 2022 grew the fastest they have in 16 years, and overall grew 6.1% in that time, SHNS reported, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Massachusetts workers got more of a raise than the average American, SHNS reported. Nationwide, wages and salaries increased by only 5% in the last year.

The Phoenix area experienced the biggest gains across the country, SHNS reported, with wages and salaries increasing by 6.4% in the last year.

Compensation for inflation for private industry workers was also far better last year than the year before, SHNS reported. For the Greater Boston area, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, inflation compensation rose 5.6% in the last year, nearly double the 2.9% workers received the year before.

Boston-area workers also faired better than the average American when it comes to inflation compensation, with the nationwide number sitting at only 4.8%, SHNS reported.

But it’s not all good news. SHNS reported that during the past year, inflation grew 8.5%, which is the biggest yearly increase since 1981.