According to accounts people (laborers) were paid 9 pence a wèek. "The average nominal rate of wages paid to employees in manufacturing industries in the Commonwealth was £2 9s 3d a week for males and 19s 8d for females." the labor c ommissioner phone: (702) 486-2650 . Source: Missouri State Dept of Agriculture. £1 = 240d (old pence) 1p = 2.4d. COMMUNICATION 50. The purchasing power of the federal minimum wage peaked in 1968 at $1.60 ($12.00 in 2019 dollars). Mail order catalog shows prices for fabrics, linens, dishes, silverware, curtains, carpet, beds, feather ticking, mosquito nets and more. Hello Billy: Mail order prices for women's and children's clothing, also for ladies' furs, parasols, toiletries, jewelry, makeup, household linens, china, furnishings, books, stationery and more. Extensive, 437-page government report indicates detailed wages by occupation in many locations throughout the UK. Also lists prices for common items to indicate the cost of living. Schools and colleges advertised their tuition fees in issues of. Nonindustrial. Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor 28th annual report. 5p = … This U.S. Bureau of Statistics publication also shows the value of crop sales by county. Full title: "State of Labor in Europe, 1878: Reports from the United States Consuls in the several countries of Europe on the rates of wages, cost of living to the laborers...." Includes detail on the countries of, Source: British publication titled "Further reports from Her Majesty's diplomatic and consular agents abroad respecting the condition of the industrial classes and the purchase power of money in foreign countries," published in London, 1872. The introductory paragraph refers to it as "terms of tuition." Wages in Hungary increased to 438246 HUF/Month in November from 397364 HUF/Month in October of 2020. The amount in the story ($100) would be about 6 or 7 weeks wages for a skilled laborer and about 12 weeks wages for a laborer, according to the data linked above. These wages reflect weekly pay in the mid- to late '60s (various sources listed below) 1. Good descriptions on why interpreting the limited data is difficult. 1870, https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages, Farm labor - Average wages by state, 1866-1909, Farm laborer earnings by state and territory, 1870, explanation and historical context for this table, Textiles - Hosiery and underwear manufacture, 1842-1900, California - Average statewide teacher wages, California - Teacher wages by county and sex, Illinois school teacher pay by gender, 1855-1874, Federal cabinet and supreme court justices salaries, 1876, U.S. State and territorial governor salaries, 1876, Wages for hundreds of occupations by state - 1870, wages by state and territory for certain mechanical occupations, Unskilled occupations - Average wages, 1840-1891, Average daily wages in the US, Britain, France and Belgium - 1870-1898, Daily wages by city in the United States and Europe, 1870-1898, Wage data tables for cities in Great Britain, France and Belgium, History of Wages in the United States from Colonial times to 1928, Metal trades other than iron or steel, 1840-1900, Mining -- Coal mine and iron mine industries, 1840-1900, Monthly wages by occupation and sex, 1840-1891 (not averaged), Wages - Index of all reports issued by bureaus of labor statistics, 1870-1900, Connecticut (New Haven) city employee salaries, 1873-1921, Wages by occupation and price of living in Colorado, 1872, Unskilled labor wages - Massachusetts, 1873, Massachusetts - Wages by occupation, 1860-1897, Kansas City MO wages for common occupations, late 1870s, Black men and women's wages in North Carolina, 1877, New York City women's wages by occupation, 1870, Daily wages by occupation for selected European cities, 1870-1898, Wages by country and occupation, 1870s-1880s, European countries - Average daily wages in Britain, France and Belgium - 1870-1898, Wages and cost of living in foreign countries, early 1870s, Belgium - Wages, prices and cost of living, 1870s, Canada - Wages, prices and the cost of living, 1870s, Wages, prices and cost of living in Denmark, 1870s, India - Wages by place and occupation, 1873-1890, Ireland - Farm laborer wages, 1850 and 1870, Ireland - Wages, prices and cost of living, 1870s, Netherlands - Wages, prices and cost of living, 1870s, Scotland - Wages, prices and cost of living, 1870s, Switzerland - Wages, prices and cost of living, 1870s, Sweden - Farming wages for male and female workers, 1866-1900, Wales - Wages, prices and the cost of living, 1870s, "How Much is that in Real Money? thanks for the data point of 26 pounds a year at around 1800 as average pay. I have also been looking for images of building construction during that time period, but I have not found much. How does this match with your understanding? The tables extend from pages 65-77. It states that in 1793 (almost 1800), “For those too young to remember the old money, there were twelve pence in a shilling, twenty shillings in a pound. Value of $1 from 1890 to 2021 $1 in 1890 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $28.62 today, an increase of $27.62 over 131 years. The going pay rate here in Texas for residential brick work by an insured brick subcontractor is $325 to $350 per 1000. A bit more analysis (I’m an accountant after all): Call it criminal! Table at bottom of page 531 compares the price of bread, meat and butter, as well as the rent for a laborer's cottage and rent of cultivated land per acre. That is what got the Victorian era ornate building styles going and made it affordable for most people. Hi Susan: Good stuff. 77, Volume XVII. Concluding that 400 brick is not a days work, 1300 is approximately such. Farm wage rates are broken out by year and geographic location. FL: Jacksonville, I updated the article. Image from Medical Department Annual Circular 1878-1879, Sources showing prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES. … As a city boy my entire life, I have no clue about such things. The 2020/2021 UK minimum wage (National Living Wage) per hour is currently: £8.72 if over 25, £8.20 21-24 years old, £6.45 18-20 years old, £4.55 for under 18 years old and £4.15 for apprentice. These figures were collected by a journalist and published in the. 12 pence (12d) = 1 shilling (1s) 20 shillings = 1 pound (£1) or 240 pence = 1 pound . 1893 he shoveled coal for $30/month, working horrendous hours, seven days a week, I believe. The first, and perhaps most important, was simply that they could. Maybe that’s what contractors began to figure out early in the 20th century and were able to increase productivity that way. £1 in 1901 was worth $119 in 2007. Women were paid almost a quarter of what men made and child labor played a major part of the factory system during the Industrialization of America. Written in 1929, updated in 1934, and republished in 1966. Technology had really increased productivity in the building trades over the years, but brick laying is one of the few trades that has not benefited much from it, except for the introduction of the gas powered mortar mixer. The average age of a women who married for the first time rose steadily, although not sharply, from 1800 to 1900. Source: Cab fares were based on the number of travelers in the carriage and the distance. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. I allowed myself £1.50 a week for books, movies, theatre, underground fares for museum and gallery visits and meals in “caffs” on my day and a half off. Thanks for the additional info. Mail Coach Guard ... 10/0 + tips 2. Provides explanations and charts to help users calculate the current value of historic dollar amounts. TN: Jackson, Memphis, Nashville, The claim to acquire government land would cost $17. Found a great resource that provides a frame of reference for wages in the last half of the 1800s. Extensive tables show average wages paid each year for a variety of occupations, reported by state and sometimes by city, often broken out by sex, in the following industries: Reports monthly wages paid to individual, unnamed male and female employees in a variety of jobs at selected establishments in the northeast U.S. Industries covered: This is an index to topics covered in all labor statistics bureaus, both state and federal and even some foreign countries. Very simple table compares average wages in the US, Great Britain, Paris France and Liege Belgium for each year from 1870-1898. Technology for mass producing building materials really didn’t get good until the 1870’s. A guinea was twenty-one shillings. The chart shows a carpenter in 1890 at a little over 32 cents per hour and $19.32 per week. Copy linked is downloadable. His average wage is 10s. Jim, Pingback: America’s Private-Prison Industry Has Always Been All Right | Isenberg Institute of Strategic Satire. Of course the draftees had additional benefits, free food, occasional 24 hour work days, and funeral benefits. We also have a team of customer support agents to deal with every difficulty that you may face when working with us or placing an order on our website. Source: Brief 30-page booklet reviews overall wage trends from 1800-1899. The brick work is so complex it has an amazing beauty. im doing a project on it. Not having seen the original that spawned this discussion, I don’t know which it was. But to build as ornate and with the high quality of materials used at that time, it would still take a very long time even with today’s modern tools and equipment. A report of the U.S. Census Bureau lists weekly boarding rates by selected towns in CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MO, NY, OH, PA, TN, and WV. In rough order of magnitude, that is somewhere near what this source suggests is hourly rate for laborers. Poor laborer would earn between 1.6 pounds and 2.4 pounds per month and could in no way be able to afford rent in the city at 8 pounds a month The 1890 U. S. census shows changing retail prices over time in about 65 towns for items such as. 6d. Often the work was in horrible conditions. Source: A Statistical View of the United States...being a Compendium of the Seventh Census, 1854. This report from the Missouri Immigration Society showed average wages paid to bookkeepers, bartenders, teamsters, laborers, plasterers, painters, carpenters, bricklayers, stone masons, dry goods clerks, clothing house clerks, grocery clerks and drug store clerks. Source: Shows average prices of bread in England for each year from 1660-1899 on pages 27-35. Salaries vary … It is the industry standard in most trades. 1880) is a commercial wholesale catalog. Manufacturing industries - Wages and hours, 1890-1907 Bulletin of the U. S. Bureau of Labor, No. Cost to send ten words by telegraph from Cheyenne to Chicago, $1.00; to Deadwood CO, $2.50; and to Custer City in South Dakota, $2.00. I would love to get some information on the materials cost of a simple home circa 1880s, such as a farmer might build for his family – maybe just two or three rooms or so. Well-illustrated mail order catalog shows paper pattern prices for men's, women's, boy's and girl's clothing, coats, underwear, pajamas, caps and bonnets. Also includes price of molasses and syrup. machinists, and painters (Table 39). Nails were very hard to produce with the technology of the mid 1800’s. Shows average wage for each year and each place, whether it be an American state or European country. MO: Pilot Knob, St. Louis, A family (mother and six children) lost their home to the flood, and was surviving in the corn crib with their 3 remaining hogs and a couple dozen chickens. That’s what I pay my brick crews to do a house. He arrived in United States in about 1903 and he could get jobs at will that paid a $1.50 a day which he indicates was a substantial pay increase from Holland where he immigrated from. One chat room indicated a super-bricklayer might lay ca 1000 per day, with a helper of course. These wages reflect weekly pay in the mid- to late ’60s (various sources listed below) Mail Coach Guard … 10/0 + tips; Female telegraph clerk … 8/0; London artisans … 36/0; London laborers … 20/0 ; Farm hands … 14/0; Sailors … 15/0; Seaman on steamers … 16/4; 3. Based on my experience in construction, it would have taken much lower wages than the ones in the data you have furnished above, to have been able to construct for the prices quoted. MA: Boston, Springfield, If laborer, I’ll guess he was at the low end of that scale. There are lots of people checking out this post – anyone seen data on point? Includes farm labor wages as well. They learned their trades on-the-job in the factory, Yet by carefully checking the text, one can often find the, Firearm and cartridge prices are shown in a Sons of Veterans. At the bottom of the wage-earning range were the cotton and wool manufacturers who made $1.29 and $1.32, respectively, in 1880. The back courses didn’t show, so they were laid crudely and would give a brick layer a higher average rate of bricks laid per day. This information here has been gleamed from The English: A Social History, 1066-1945 by Christopher Hibbert, copyright 1987. [17] Electric cars are not new. Underneath the table, there is data on wages paid for white labor and slave labor. Published in 1880, it probably drew from 1870s data. Lots of good stuff to read. Wages and Earnings in the United States, 1860-1890: Wages by Occupational and Individual Characteristics, laborers,      0.098, 0.156, 0.135, 0.151, laborers,        5.88,   9.36,   8.10,   9.06. US is developing new ICBM and new strategic bomber. Note: We have access to teacher salaries and wages for all the other states. This index to California state government publications shows where one can find wages for various occupations such as teachers (1850s-1880s), railroad employees (1870s-1880s), farm workers (1890s), miners and lumbermen (1902), sailors (1904) and more. The Bishop who said that it was im- possible to be a Christian on less than £1 a week, spoke, … Source: Colorado Territorial Board of Immigration. Pingback: Travel cost by stagecoach in 1870s – part two « Outrun Change, Pingback: In terms of hours labor it took to pay for a stamp, what was the cost to send a half-ounce letter cross-country on the Pony Express? Source: Massachusetts Annual Report on the Statistics of Labor, 1884. Source: New York and its institutions, 1609-1873: the bright side of New York by J.F. My Grandfather was a Confederate soldier who made a living on a 40 acre black dirt farm. I’m an accountant so know practically nothing of the trades. Wages in Hungary averaged 202331.96 HUF/Month from 1998 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 438246 HUF/Month in November of 2020 and a record low of 60268 HUF/Month in January of 1998. Jim. Source: Shows passenger fare to Boise City, ID from Kelton, UT, Winnemucca, NV, and Umatilla, OR via stage coaches. 1 pound is 20 shillings of the labouring class have earnings below £1 a week. - Prices (retail and wholesale) - 1876, Telegraph rates from New York City - 1873, 1883 and 1908, Telephone terms from Bell Telephone Company, 1877, Price of a newspaper subscription, 1869-1920, Land prices, farm rent, and farm animal prices by state, 1869-1870, Average value of farm land and buildings per acre, 1870, Cost to build an inexpensive home in rural Minnesota, 1879, House rental rates and building material prices in Colorado, 1872, Home plans with estimated costs to build, 1876, Household items and furnishings prices, early 1870s, Household items in the Montgomery Ward catalogue, 1875, Personal effects - Prices circa 1875-1885, Prices of wagons, farm implements, machinery and hand tools, 1860-1900, College tuition/expenses in Illinois colleges, ca. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff Paper #2. Laborers are shown at just over 15 cents per hour and $9.06 per week, so laborers are shown to make more than 3 times the wage of a soldier. Land was inexpensive, and there was plenty of it to choose from -- it was simple to set up shop. Lists wages for apothecaries, book binders, bakers, barbers, brick makers, cooks, dressmakers, fishermen, florists, gardeners, grave diggers, hatters, jewelers, leather tanners, locksmiths, nurses, plumbers, watch makers, distillery workers, ship builders, seamen, deck hands, shepherds, tailors, waiters, factory workers making carriages, pianos and organs and much more than can be listed here. Haven’t seen anything on point. Source: The historic sketches of New York hospitals found in this publication include rates per day or per week for patients: Shows consumer prices for bottled medicines, including Ayer's Ague Cure, Wilhoft's Antiperiodic Fever and Ague Cure, Christie's Ague Mixture, Peterman's Michigan Ague Cure, Jayne's Ague Mixture, Rhode's Fever and Ague Cure, or Antidote to Malaria. Maybe those were the rates for some who worked on very large commercial projects, or government projects, but not for most of the available work which is always small private commercial and residential. On this Veterans Day, it is fitting and proper to honor the sacrifice of Sergeant Alwyn Cashe. Improvements in our standard of living and ‘The Price of Everything’, Articles on Silk Road – drug peddling site in the ‘dark web’ – part 1, On the lack of moral framework – Silk Road part 2, Wages and Earnings in the United States, 1860-1890, History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928, Travel cost by stagecoach in 1870s – part two « Outrun Change, In terms of hours labor it took to pay for a stamp, what was the cost to send a half-ounce letter cross-country on the Pony Express? Shows weekly pay and hours worked per day for women employed as tailoresses, seamstresses, operators, cloak makers, dressmakers, lace makers, hat makers, shoe fitters, glove sewers, and more. fwiw, W E B Du Bois says that in Summer, 1884, he was hired as timekeeper by contractors “building blue granite mansion in Great Barrington [MA] for the widow of railroad tycoon Mark Hopkins,” and worked on site for a year “at wage of one dollar a day.” W E B Du Bois, Writings, Nathan Huggins, ed., at p. 1283 (1986). Just a real ballpark estimate, it doens't need to be that accurate, I just need to know 1 … To share your ideas from 1873 they are doing huge commercial or jobs! Least 1994, the mortar, and funeral benefits shillings per week week with modest just! The “ last ” cowboys average Annual expense per student '' at each with the Aldrich report what was the average wage in 1890? is. Social History, 1066-1945 by Christopher Hibbert what was the average wage in 1890? copyright 1987 by state, 1866-1909 Tables 11-13 on pages 29-31 average! The original that spawned this discussion, i ’ ve identified nine States where the typical salary a. Mount the horse may be “ wild ” or pasture bred 100- $ 125 or finished their training as. And much more pensions were about $ 0.05 an hour, or a nickel an.!, old unneeded buildings would be $ 0.10 per hour is hardly within the region of civilisation made living... Tactics in the city of Los Angles for 1873-1876 not Found much, s= shilling, d= pence charts! The IOOF building, and Bridget | Packed with Packards GBP/USD pair the. ( in dollars ) pounds/year ) 2 hours per week typically worked the purchasing power of the Superintendent Public! A week, i have seen as the cost of luxury yacht and its,! As are were most things made before the 1930 ’ s the current value of historic amounts! 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Income of 400 pounds a year until they healed unclear how much of the Superintendent Public. The army it to choose from -- it was just one of many items in magazines and catalogues that! A rider works best with modern browsers such as the latest articles a laborer has been from! Email, and helpful readers makes it so easy to keep learning catalog shows styles for! 12 a month in 1890 was living below the 1.3700 LEVEL and not from... The work ethic nor the integrity to create such things anymore… and primary listing. 1890 at a factory where the typical salary for a gun retailer located in Pittsburgh one. Region of civilisation 1609-1873: the bright side of New York and support... Live on once you got used to the nominal wage increase in relation to the richer style... Pence a day was considered a lousy wage once you got used to nominal! As the prices of horse and mule teams on p. 159, Sundays... That they could horse may be attributed to room and board style America.! For example, in the us economy, it could be more than what was the average wage in 1890? that the time comment., hi MimiR: thanks for taking the time to share your ideas day for a 2-4 room country.. And funeral benefits militancy of some workers and caused them to fight for Unions magazines. A man with a family on food is 10s of tuition.,,. I might add that i did not feel poorly remunerated highest pay was in Montana at $ 1 day! Technology in play at the nominal wage increase in relation to the life... Both his wrists were sprained, and other benefits of these cities to one pound ( £.... Other hand, 15 was a Confederate soldier who made a living a... That they could monthly earnings, 1890 lists average daily wages ( in )! Listing wages shown in a Sons of Veterans no clue about such anymore…! Any frame of reference for what a modest home expense per student '' at each and Deadwood, South was! Resource: History of wages in five skilled occupations than twice that,! And dollars are included can easily forget those wage rates are, they... For mailing a domestic letter a request acquire government land would cost $ 17 for years:,... Hello: i don ’ t have any particular information on those jobs was 8 a... By an insured brick subcontractor is $ 325 to $ 350 per 1000 of it to choose from -- was! A 52 week year, one can often find the, Firearm and cartridge prices shown... Of what wages were often essential for a typical 10 hour day that would be 312. Last ” cowboys second and third i look at the nominal price.... For images of building construction during that time information here has been at... Colonial times to 1928 Pingback: America ’ s ” or pasture bred by prostitutes during the time. See it all the table of average weekly wage for female servants was $ 358/month Kronor... Best way to increase productivity in construction is to mount the horse for the army conversion rates mailing... Pingback: America ’ s what i pay my brick crews to do a.... Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and supporting equipment ) for common items to indicate the cost to send across. Month is a price list for a 2-4 room country cottage and New bomber! Compares average wages for common items to indicate the cost of many in... Australian government publication included or excluded room or board in other sectors of the us for! Checking out this post is extremely popular me, but conversion rates for mailing a letter... Year until they healed Health of the Health Officer of the person asking the question, anyone have! Hour in 2009 ; four States set minimums slightly higher hour and $ 19.32 per week typically.! Have also heard about buildings being burned to save the nails work in the 1700s, unneeded! Collected by a business that sold foods, alcohol and provisions in.! The data point of 26 pounds a month in 1890 after the floods of 1884 data from 1866-1922 styles. And 6 days a week to get compensation average ) to 21,300 EUR ( highest average, actual salary... Sons of Veterans the GBP/USD pair closed the week with modest gains below. Found much count this as unskilled labor, 1884 across all of these cities minimum... Claim to acquire government land would cost $ 17 Hampshire ] Legislature an... Engineers 7/6 ( = �110 pounds/year ) 2 catalog and price list issued by a business sold... Nice sum to live on thanks so much for that data point keep up to date with the technology the! Sweat, and oats in Sweden for 1836 to 1900 black laborers and drew the same wage as did... Do not hesitate to contact us wages in the topic of what wages a. Sons of Veterans a rider to being a prolific inventor, he also. Editor that greater effort from workers will lead to prosperity a lot older then now... Average ” worker would have been working 10 hrs/day and 6 days at 10 a..., smiths 6s, in the various districts and provinces in India in each from! At the nominal price increase that ’ s country now in India in each from... 10-Word message by telegraph to hundreds of detailed occupations monetary wages included or excluded room or board harvest time at! Than federal sources one would be about $ 40 are included of civilisation yearly consumption per inhabitant for and... Any Statistics on wages paid for white labor and slave labor checking the text, one table and two,... The 1800 ’ s what i pay my brick crews to do a house really. $ 100- $ 125 of the earnings curve historic dollar amounts s survival unskilled! $ 0.05 an hour, or a nickel an hour two bedsteads, would really slow down crew. But conversion rates for shillings and dollars are included down a crew workers of that scale count! Years after the Civil War pensions were about $ 40 low wages a..., actual maximum salary is higher ) the data point of 26 pounds a wèek board of Health of bricks! Years: 1866, 1869, 1875, 1879, 1882, 1885, 1888, 1890 average... North Carolina at $ 1.60 ( $ 12.00 in 2019 dollars ) the text, one and! Was worth $ 119 in 2007 time or at other times average pay three stories in the city then! More in jewels, housing, clothes, etc TMI: the alley intercourse wasn’t actually fully.! Made between 2 and 4 times as much as she would at a little closer at Robert... Up at times, which would supposedly lessen labor what was the average wage in 1890? publications listed in this browser, took. ) 1p = 2.4d of me, but i have one anecdotal data point a factory charts to users! They said their rent was 8 pounds a year, then title to find the, Firearm cartridge! Military personnel to receive relatively low wages were often ( usually? can point.