Boston-area wages up 6.1%

Wages and salaries in the Boston area rose at their fastest yearly clip since 2006, growing 6.1% for the 12-month period ending in March, the federal government reported Monday.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said wages and salaries nationwide increased 5% in the same period. The largest increase in wages and salaries, at 6.4%, was in the Phoenix area.

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 5.6% for the year ending in March in the combined statistical area that includes the Greater Boston area, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, the bureau said, compared to an annual gain of 2.9% in compensation one year ago.