Pay Gap Between Biggest US Cities Is Getting Wider as Wages Slow

Wage growth is slowing down in the US economy as a whole — but not everywhere.

The gap between pay hikes across major American cities widened last quarter, according to data published Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The difference between the fastest and slowest increases in employment costs among 15 major metros rose to 4 percentage points, matching the highest figure of the pandemic period. It hasn’t been bigger since 2016.

Overall US employment costs for private industry rose in the second quarter at the slowest pace in two years, the BLS reported, reflecting a labor market ...