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Though wages remain largely stagnant for many American workers, there are several cities around the U.S. where incomes are on the rise. Personal finance website GOBankingRates analyzed 347
American cities with populations of 500,000 or under, looking for places experiencing a combination of economic prosperity, population growth and rising incomes. To rank the top
"boomtowns," or cities that meet these criteria, the site looked at five-year data on population, housing, GDP and per capita income from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2017
American Community and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In several of these places, incomes increased 20% or more from 2012 to 2017. In contrast to notoriously expensive cities such as New
York or Los Angeles, these metro areas "offer incentives, such as a more affordable cost-of-living or a higher paycheck — or both," GOBankingRates reports. Below, check out nine
cities where personal income has gone up significantly in recent years, ranked by wage growth. 9. SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 20.5% Population growth, 2012
to 2017: 6.1% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 23.3% 8. SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 20.6% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 4.7% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 26%
Sacramento Capital Building in Sacramento, California. Janet Kopper | Moment | Getty Images 7. SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 20.9% Population growth, 2012 to 2017:
9.3% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 23.5% 6. NAPLES, FLORIDA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 22.8% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 6.8% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 34% Naples, Florida.
Pola Damonte via Getty Images | Moment | Getty Images 5. FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 23.4% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 10.4% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017:
37.6% 4. SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 23.9% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 3.7% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 26.2% Students walking down Mission Plaza
area of coastal town of San Luis Obispo, California. Ann Cecil | Getty Images 3. BOULDER, COLORADO PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 24.3% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 7.2% GDP
increase, 2012 to 2017: 22.3% 2. RENO, NEVADA PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH, 2012 TO 2017: 26.5% Population growth, 2012 to 2017: 5.9% GDP increase, 2012 to 2017: 36.7% Hot August Nights in Reno,
Nevada, is the largest classic car and nostalgia event in the U.S. Credit: VisitRenoTahoe.com 1. SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA