Prices and Wages by Decade: 1780-1789
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages in the United States, 1780-1789
- Building-trades wages - 1600s through 1836Lists wages of early American bricklayers, carpenters, masons, etc. in British currency and Spanish dollars (more on exchange rates here). Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor rept., p. 5.
- Vermont farm labor daily wages, 1780-1820sTable 26 shows daily wages for laborers, with board. The complete chart shows wage data for every year from 1780-1937; the explanation begins on page 43. Source: Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station.
- Philadelphia - Daily wages, 1785-1830Shows average annual wages for artisans, laborers and agricultural workers in Philadelphia only. See table explanation for detail. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, p. 163.
- New Hampshire wages, 1780sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of wages dating from the 1780s:
- 1785 - Day's work in haying and reaping, making a pair of boots or shoes
- 1783 to 1792 - Domestic help
- Congressional salaries, 1789-presentLists salaries along with dates of enactment. See additional detail from the 1789 Act, chap. 17.
Foreign wages, 1780-1789
- Building trades in London - Daily wages, 1730-1790Shows wages for carpenters, bricklayers, masons and plumbers in 5-year intervals from 1730-1790. Source: A History of Prices..., Volume I, by Tooke and Newmarch.
- London - Prices paid for foods, beer, candles and coal, 1740-1865Chart shows the prices paid by Greenwich Hospital for meat, bread, flour, cheese, butter, beer, candles and coal in each decade from 1740-1860, and 1865. Also shows average weekly wages for building trade occupations in shillings and pence. Source: Wages and Earnings of the Working Class published in London, 1867, p. 128.
- England - Agricultural labor - Average daily wages, 1200-1811Shows averages for each century from 1200 to 1800, expressed in pence (abbreviated "d.") Also shows average daily wages for certain groups of years in the 1700s. Source: A History of Prices... Volume 6, by Thomas Tooke, p. 389.
- France - Wages by sex, 1789 and 1811Compares wages in France before the revolution (1789) to that under Napoleon's leadership in 1811. Shows daily wages paid to male and female French day laborers. Also shows wages paid to cartwrights, farriers, masons, locksmiths, carpenters, tilers, thatchers, shepherds, farm-yard boys, etc. Amounts are expressed in British pounds sterling using an exchange rate of 25 francs to the pound.
Prices by state, 1780-1789
- House rent, land prices and wholesale prices, 1785 in five American citiesLists average price for land near towns, the cost of rent and wholesale prices for food such as butter, cheese, potatoes, lard, codfish, wheat, corn, rice, flour, herring and ham. Also includes the price of tobacco and tallow. Covers the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston, and includes a "U.S. average." Source: History of wages in the United States from Colonial times to 1928, p.21.
- Land prices, 1774-1805Shows average prices of cultivated land and unimproved land. Source: Economica: a statistical manual for the United States (1806), p. 60.
- Prices in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, 1780sA farm family's account book shows a variety of items that were purchased, along with prices. Source: "Farm prices in two centuries," Report of the Statistician, USDA, p. 338-339.
- Land prices in Maine, 1785-1812Source: Statistical view of the district of Maine (1816), p. 103.
See Massachusetts prices below.
- New Hampshire prices, 1780sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating as far back as the 1600s, including the following from the 1780s:
- Farm household expenses in Penn. and Conn., 1780sA farm family's account book shows a variety of items that were purchased, along with prices. Source: "Farm prices in two centuries," Report of the Statistician, USDA, p. 338-339.
- Price of flour by the barrel - Philadelphia, 1785-1828Prices listed in the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, pub. 1830.
- Land prices - Pennsylvania, 1784-1785Source: View of land laws in Pennsylvania Chapter 23, pp. 157-159 and "Prices of lands" Appendix 4, page 273. Portions reprinted in: Penn. Surveyor General 1866 ann. rpt. pp. 13-14.
- Health care service costs in Philadelphia, late 1700sArticle mentions typical health services (child birth, smallpox inoculations, dislocations, etc.) and arrangements for payment when cash was scarce. Actual amounts charged are mentioned anecdotally. Source: Library of Congress blog.
- Medical fees in Virginia, 1787-88Medicine in Virginia in the eighteenth century includes extracts from doctors account books and diaries, showing fees received for services and medicines in 1787 and 1788. Use the table of contents or the index then jump to the desired page number. Click "more..." for examples.
- Horse prices - Virginia, 1784In his 1784 published book A tour in the United States of America, J.F.D. Smyth, Esq. tells us that he "purchased two horses at Petersburg; for the best I gave fifteen pounds, the worst cost me twenty-five pounds" (p.45).
- Prices paid by George Washington, 1750s-1790sSearchable by keyword and by year of transaction, this database shows George Washington's household accounting records, listing the prices he paid for goods and services from the 1750s-1790s. Source: George Washington Financial Papers Project.
Prices in Massachusetts, 1780-1789
Prices in Massachusetts, 1780s
- Flour
- Dairy products: butter prices by the pound, milk by the quart, cheese and eggs.
- Food preparations: biscuits, chocolate, coffee, molasses, salt, sugar and tea
- Meats: beef, mutton, pork and veal
- Poultry and game: goose, turkey, and poultry
- Fish: codfish and herring by the pound, and fish (generally) by the 100 pounds
- Beverages: prices for brandy, cider, wine, gin and rum
- Spices priced by the pound, and vinegar
- Agricultural products: apples, beans, corn, cranberries, oats, peas, potatoes, rice, rye and turnips
The price figures above were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th annual report of the Mass. BLS for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s. These are retail prices unless otherwise noted (source).
Prices in Massachusetts, 1780s
- Blankets
- Cutlery and table utensils
- Paper, priced by the sheet
- Tallow, candles, soap, etc.
- Oils to burn in lamps and lanterns
- Fuel - Charcoal, oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc.
- Miscellaneous: Price for brooms, brass kettles, brick, matches, tubs, clocks, candlesticks, silver watches, feathers (by the pound), wine glasses and more.
- Tobacco and snuff by the pound or (sometimes) ounce, and cigars by the dozen.
The price figures above were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th annual report of the Mass. BLS for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s. These are retail prices unless otherwise noted (source).
Prices in Massachusetts, 1780s
- Clothing : Hats, handkerchiefs, stockings, gloves, breeches, pantaloons, coats, etc.
- Cloth for clothing construction
- Dress goods
- Prices for alpaca wool and calico by the yard, as well as batiste, cambric, cashmere, crape, gingham, gauze, lawn, muslin, linsey woolsey, plaid, poplin, satin, silk, velvet and many other fabric types.
- Dry goods
- Flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings and more.
- Boots, shoes and leather
- Prices reported by the individual pair or by component such as buckles, leather, buttons, braid, fringe, etc. Detailed prices for style and type of shoe, boot, sandal, slipper, rubber overshoe, etc.
- Buttons and dress trimmings
- Button prices by the dozen. Fringe and tape by the yard.
- Ribbons and laces
- Small wares : Yarn, needles, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread.
The price figures above were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th annual report of the Mass. BLS for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s. These are retail prices unless otherwise noted (source).
Foreign prices by country, 1780-1789
- Working class budgets - England, late 1700s
- Prices and family expenditures in the county of Berks, pp. 8-17
- Prices of the "common necessities of life" mid 1700s and 1790s in county of Berks. Includes prices of foods, soap, candles, stout shoes, foul weather coats (ready made for sale), fabric for gowns, wool and more, p. 65
- Family expenditures by place on pages 136-200. This section includes prices and the amounts typically needed over the course of a year, p.136.
- Prices of food, beer, candles and coal in London, 1740-1865Chart shows the prices paid by Greenwich Hospital for meat, bread, flour, cheese, butter, beer, candles and coal in each decade from 1740-1860, and 1865. Also shows average weekly wages for building trade occupations in shillings and pence. Source: Wages and earnings of the working class pub. in London (1867), p.127.
- Bread prices in England, 1749-1783Shows average prices of bread in England for each year from 1660-1899 on pages 27-35. Source: Three Centuries of Prices of Wheat, Flour and Bread. The introduction to this table explains that these prices are for the type of bread consumed by lower middle classes, not the "fancy bread." Price sources are provided on page 21-22.
- Bread prices in England, 1784-1816A continuation of the table above, p.32.
- Bread prices in London, 1758-1815Source: Report on wholesale and retail prices in the United Kingdom..., pp. 214-219.
- Transportation cost in and around London, 17863 pence per mile was the accustomed coach fare to places around Britain. This source provides mileage between towns. Fares for hackney coaches and boat hire also specified.
- Commodity prices in England, 1780s-1830sShows mostly the wholesale prices of commodities sold in large quantities. See the price of tea by the pound, Jamaican rum by the gallon, imported Virginia tobacco by the pound. Also shows prices for rice, tallow, timber, wool, flax, hops, etc. Source: A History of Prices and of the State of the Circulation from 1792-1856 by Tooke and Newmarch, p.397.
- Prices in France, 1789 and 1811Compares prices in France before the revolution (1789) to prices under Napoleon (1811). Shows prices for coats, hats, shoes, and various sorts of farm implements such as ploughs and hoes. Also shows prices for farm animals such as chickens, sheep, plough horses and fat pigs. The same chart shows wages for common occupations. Amounts are expressed in British pounds sterling using an exchange rate of 25 francs to the pound, p.337.
Price and wage analysis, 1780s
- Colonial wages in AmericaProvides essential context for labor in the colonial economy. A section titled Money and Money Equivalent explains that wages were sometimes paid in agricultural products. The section Colonial Currency tells which currencies (English pounds, Spanish dollars, Dutch florins) were typically used in the various American colonies. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin #604. Downloadable copy here.
- Currency converter, 1270–2017This calculator can be used to determine the historical purchasing power of currency in the United Kingdom from 1270 to 2017. Purchasing power is represented in its equivalence in horses, wheat, the yearly wages of a skilled tradesperson, and others.
- "How much is that in real money? A historical price index..."Provides explanations and charts to help users calculate the current value of historic dollar amounts. Source: Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Assn., Vol. 101 #2. Source
- Shay's Rebellion, 1785-1786In Massachusetts, veterans of the American Revolution were being sent to debtor's prisons for failure to pay debts with paper money. Many had not received pay for their military service. The story of Shay's Rebellion reveals the economic roots of this conflict.
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Marie Concannon, Government Information Librarian
Government Documents Department, Ellis Library
University of Missouri, Columbia
Email: concannonm@missouri.edu
Phone (573) 882-0748
