Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1780-1789

Wages in the United States, 1780-1789

Building-trades wages - 1600s through 1836
Lists wages of bricklayers, carpenters, masons, etc. mostly expressed in British currency, but many of these provide US dollar equivalents. Source: U.S. Department of Labor.
Artisans, laborers and agricultural workers - Average daily wage, 1785-1830 - Philadelphia
Shows average wages, year by year, for workers in the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania only. See table explanation for detail.
Wages by occupation and year in Massachusetts (1780s)
Note: Due to considerable variation in currency values among the colonies, Massachusetts wage data may not be easily comparable to other geographies. Recommended reading: Colonial Currency in History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928.
New Hampshire wages, 1780s
The 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-present
Historical chart shows salaries of members of the U.S. Congress, along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition Online
Shows wages recorded in manuscripts found at local historical societies and state archives. Requires MU login to access, but non-affiliated individuals may pay for limited-time access.

Wages in Foreign Countries, 1780-1789

Building trades in London - Daily wages, 1730-1790
Shows 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.
Agricultural labor in England, Average daily wages, 1200-1811
Shows 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.
Wages in France by sex, 1789 and 1811
Compares 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.

Wages and Prices, 1780-1789 - Analysis

Colonial wages in America
This government document gives evidence of the amount and types of payment rendered for work in a variety of occupations. 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.
Shay's Rebellion, 1785-1786
In Massachusetts, veterans of the American Revolution were being sent to debtor's prisons for failure to pay bills 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.
"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 Association, Vol. 101 #2. Source
Measuring Worth (website)
Website provides online calculators, guides and tutorials to help researchers understand the modern value of historic money in America, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Prices and Wages in Maryland, 1750-1850
This article by Donald R. Adams provides great context for the data. It appeared in the September 1986 issue of Journal of Economic History. Available to MU affiliates and other JStor subscribers.

Prices in the United States, 1780-1789

House rent, land prices and wholesale prices, 1785-1805 in five American cities
Lists 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.
Price of flour by the barrel - Philadelphia, 1785-1828
Prices as listed in the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, published in 1830. Not a government document.
New Hampshire prices, 1780s
The 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:
- 1785 - Wool, cider, tobacco, rye, molasses, honey
- 1786 - Livestock, peas, barley, corn, cider
Health care service costs in Philadelphia, late 1700s
Article mentions typical health services for the time frame (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.
Prices paid by George Washington, 1750s-1790s
Searchable 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.
Horses - Prices in Virginia in 1784
In 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).
Medical fees in Virginia, 1787-88
Medicine 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.
- Services in 1787:
  
  Drawing a tooth - 2s. 6p.
  Opening a tumor & dressing - 3£
  Blooding - 2s. 6d.; 3s. 6d.
  Opening a chest & extracting pin - 2£ 8s.
  Dressing arms - 3£ 10s. for a child; 1£ 10s
  Extracting a bone - 1£ 10s.
  Amputating leg & dressing - 8£
- Medicines in 1787:
  
  Assafoetida - 1s.
  A dose of rhubarb - 3s.
  Strengthening powders - 12 for 12s.
  Eye powder & solution - 2s.
  Cordial drops - 10s. 6d.
  Cooling solution - 2s.
  Tincture of myrh - 6s.
  Digestive powders - 5s. 4d.
  Linament - 1s. 6d.
- Visits in 1788 - Ranging from 4s. to 8s.
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Prices in Massachusetts, 1780-1789

Prices for FOOD in Massachusetts, 1780s

The extensive price figures below were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s. These are retail prices unless otherwise noted (source).

Dairy products
- Price per pound of butter back to 1760s;
- eggs and cheese back to 1750s;
- quarts of milk back to 1770s.
Food preparations
- Prices for individual biscuits back to 1770s, sugar, salt and tea back to 1750s. Bread, lemons, chocolate, coffee, crackers, raisins, lard, macaroni, molasses, and more. Tea is extensively subdivided by type and priced by the pound.
Flour and Meal
- Flour prices back to 1754, including buckwheat flour, graham flour, "Indian Meal," rye meal, oatmeal, wheat bran and more priced by the pound or bushel.
Agricultural products (Fruits, vegetables, grains)
- Reported for almost every year as far back as the 1750s.
Meats and Nuts
- Prices by the pound for bacon, beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, etc. in some cases dating to the 1750s. The table for nuts includes prices by the pound for almonds, filberts and walnuts.
Poultry and game
- Price per pound of goose, turkey, and poultry back to 1758.
Fish
- Codfish by the pound back to 1782; by the hundred pounds back to 1754. Prices for other fish including halibut, herring, haddock, salmon, eels, etc. by the pound.
Liquors and Beverages
- Prices by the quart or gallon for beer to 1812, brandy to 1782, cider to 1755, wine to 1783, gin to 1784, rum to 1761, and more. Prices indicate source in some instances, for example, Gin from Holland or Rum from the West Indies.
Spices and condiments
- Prices by the pound or ounce for wide variety of spices. The earliest spice prices date to 1780s. Price of vinegar dates to 1760s.

Prices for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS in Massachusetts, 1780s

Cutlery
- Prices for table knives and forks back to 1780s, and pocket knives back to 1801.
Paper
- Letter paper, priced by the sheet, dating to 1780s.
Tallow, candles, soap, etc.
- Soap prices date to 1770s.
Oils for Illumination
- Oils to light lamps and lanterns, dating back to the 1780s
Fuel
- Charcoal, oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc. Price for wood as fuel dating to 1752.
Miscellaneous, not elsewhere classified
- Price for brooms, brass kettles, brick, matches, tubs, tumblers, clocks, candlesticks, silver watches, feathers (by the pound), wine glasses and more. Prices for some items date to 1750s.
Tobacco and snuff
- Prices for cigars by the dozen, and tobacco and snuff by the pound or (sometimes) ounce. Tobacco prices date to 1760s.

Prices for CLOTHING and SEWING SUPPLIES in Massachusetts, 1780s

Clothing
- hats, handerchiefs and stockings back to the 1760s,
- gloves, breeches, pantaloons, hose and coats back to 1780s,
Cloth
- Prices for some types of cloth back to 1770s
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, some back to the 1770s but most back to the early 1780s. More fabrics are listed under the Dry Goods heading.
Dry goods
- Prices for blankets back to the 1780s, cotton flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings, ticking, and more, some dating to the 1750s.
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. Earliest price dates to 1750s.
Buttons and dress trimmings
- Button prices reported by the dozen. Fringe and tape by the yard. Earliest price dates to 1780s.
Ribbons and laces
- Prices date to 1783.
Small wares
- Yarn, needles, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread. Some prices date to 1770s.

Prices for HARDWARE and BUILDING MATERIALS in Massachusetts, 1780s

This data was collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. These are retail prices unless otherwise noted (source).

Lumber
Price for boards, plank, shingles, timber, clapboards, etc. by the foot. Earliest price is for 2.5 inch plank wood in 1757. Reports some prices by type of wood: ash, white oak, spruce, pine.

Prices in ENGLAND, 1780s

"The Case of Labourers in Husbandry..." by David Davies (data collected in 1787)
This book was noted in the statistical literature for providing actual English working class family budgets for the late 18th century.
- Selected 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
- Appendix showing family expenditures by place on pages 136-200. This section includes prices and the amounts typically needed over the course of a year.
England (London) - Prices paid for foods, beer, candles and coal, 1740-1865
Chart 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.
Bread prices in England, 1749-1783
Shows 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 (not a government document). 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, 1784-1816
A continuation of the table above.
Commodity prices in England, 1780s-1830s
Shows 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.

Prices in FRANCE, 1780s

Prices in France, 1789 and 1811
Compares 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.

Prices and Wages by Decade: 1780-1789