With Minneapolis-St. Paul's healthcare industry booming, scientist Erin Nelson fielded more than 20 unsolicited calls in the past year asking her to consider switching jobs. She took one in September at a 40 percent raise.

"Pay is becoming much more competitive," said Nelson, 35, who designs research projects for medical-device companies. "It is a nice feeling to have job security, that there are jobs out there."

While much of the U.S. seems trapped by tepid wage growth—fueling election-year anger among voters and keeping Federal Reserve policy on hold—Minneapolis-St. Paul has been doing quite nicely. The metro area generated 4.9 percent average wage and salary gains, Employment Cost Index figures from the Labor Department released Jan. 29 show. Cities including Nashville; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and Dallas also face worker shortages that have pushed up pay.