
This paper analyzes wage trends in the Chattanooga metro area between 2001 and 2023. Throughout this period, wages in the area were below those for the country as a whole. The first half of the period, which had two recessions, saw Chattanooga’s real median wage fall while the country’s rose. During the second half, however, median wage growth was significantly higher locally. Real wages in Chattanooga rose across the wage distribution between 2012 and 2023, with especially strong growth at the lower end. Chattanooga’s wage inequality was lower than the country’s throughout 2001-2023 and plunged after the COVID pandemic. When account is taken of Chattanooga’s relatively low cost of living, its effective real median wage in 2023 is less than a dollar below the national level.