Labor expenses are a huge factor in trade show budgets—and they generally increase every year. That was the case this year, despite the economic crisis, according to Tradeshow Week's 29th Annual Survey of U.S. Labor Rates, released in June. The good news is that most of the 15 different labor rates tracked in the survey rose less than 4 percent. Here's a look at the 10 cities with the lowest and highest rates reported for drayage/general labor, an expense that can account for as much as 50 percent of an exhibitor's show services bill. The U.S. average hourly rate for drayage/general labor rose 3.8 percent, from $75.33 last year to $78.22.

Source:  Tradeshow Week Survey of U.S. Labor Rates. Rates are hourly rates charged to exhibitors. Forty-six U.S. cities were part of the survey, which gathered responses from more than 100 exhibiting companies.