Workers in the Phoenix metro area are getting higher raises than workers in many other major U.S. cities. But, it’s still relatively flat compared to cost of living increases.

Wages and benefits for private industry workers increased 3.5 percent in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area for the year ended June 2018, according to numbers out Monday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which show the Phoenix area is growing total compensation at a higher rate than the national average of 2.9 percent. But wages must keep up with the inflation rate, which is 2.9 percent nationally.

Overall, wages remain flat, but western cities are doing better than other regions. Wage increases in the South match inflation. Midwestern and Northeastern cities are slightly below.