40 Cities with the Fastest and Slowest Wage Growth

Regardless of the economy's state -- whether it's booming or withering -- people care about money. It pays the bills, after all. While salary is important, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. How much you earn often depends on where you live, and where you live affects how far your dollar goes. All of these factors depend on the overall economy, which we all know depends on several other factors.

Right now, everyone is looking for a sign that the future is going to be better than the last couple of years. Executives, analysts, teachers and college seniors and everyone in between want to know they will have a job tomorrow and be able to earn a livable income. No one can predict the future, unfortunately, but we can look to the past for signs of what's to come.

CBsalary.com looked at the wage growth across the United States from 2007-2008, which is the most recent data available. For the entire country, the average was 3.4 percent, but some cities fared much better (nearing 10 percent increases) and others fared worse (hovering near zero). Although no city showed an actual decline, several showed minimal growth, especially in comparison to other regions.

Whether you're curious to see if your city is one of the best or worst for wage growth, or you are looking for information before relocating, here are 20 cities with the fastest wage growth and 20 cities with the slowest.

Fastest wage growth:
1. College Station-Bryan, Texas
Wage growth: 9.5%

2. Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.
Wage growth: 7.2%

3. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La.
Wage growth: 6.8%

4. Redding, Calif.
Wage growth: 5.9%

5. Merced, Calif.
Wage growth: 5.7%

6. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho
Wage growth: 5.5%

7. Dover, Del.
Wage growth: 5.4%

8. Baltimore-Towson, Md.
Wage growth: 5.3%

9. Pocatello, Idaho
Wage growth: 5.3%

10.  Jackson, Tenn.
Wage growth: 5.2%

11.  Wilmington, Del.-Md.-N.J.
Wage growth: 5.2%

12.  Atlantic City, N.J.
Wage growth: 5.1%

13.  Casper, Wyo.
Wage growth: 5.1%

14.  Lakeland, Fla.
Wage growth: 5.1%

15.  Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif.
Wage growth: 5.1%

16.  Waco, Texas
Wage growth: 5.0%

17.  Athens-Clarke County, Ga.
Wage growth: 4.9%

18.  Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La.
Wage growth: 4.9%

19.  Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.
Wage growth: 4.8%

20.  Chico, Calif.
Wage growth: 4.8%

Slowest wage growth:
1. Florence-Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Wage growth: 0.1%

2. Ocala, Fla.
Wage growth: 0.9%

3. Alexandria, La.
Wage growth: 0.9%

4. Kalamazoo-Portage, Mich.
Wage growth: 0.9%

5. Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich.
Wage growth: 1.0%

6. Springfield, Ill.
Wage growth: 1.1%

7. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
Wage growth: 1.1%

8. Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Mass.
Wage growth: 1.2%

9. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa
Wage growth: 1.2%

10. Decatur, Ala.
Wage growth: 1.4%

11. Dubuque, Iowa
Wage growth: 1.4%

12. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Wage growth: 1.4%

13. Amarillo, Texas
Wage growth: 1.5%

14. Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va.-Ohio
Wage growth: 1.6%

15. Greenville, N.C.
Wage growth: 1.7%

16. Gainesville, Fla.
Wage growth: 1.7%

17. Victoria, Texas
Wage growth: 1.8%

18. Sheboygan, Wis.
Wage growth: 1.8%

19. Tyler, Texas
Wage growth: 1.8%

20. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.
Wage growth: 1.8%

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Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.