Prices and Wages by Decade: 1790-1799
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages by state in the U.S., 1790-1799
- Average annual earnings in the U.S., 1790sAccording to historian John Bach McMaster, average earnings in the 1790s was "$65 a year, with food and perhaps lodging." Source: History of the People of the United States, v. 2, p. 617.
- Wages - Various occupations, 1794In a narrative of his travels in the U.S. in 1794, author Henry Wansey reported the following earnings: salary of a Unitarian minister in Boston and of the clergy in Connecticut; wages of women at a cotton manufactury and male carpenters, hatters, and saw mill workers in New York; pay for a woodcutter to clear land in Pennsylvania and wages to seamen. Source: Excursion to the United States of North America, in the summer of 1794.
- Building-trades wages, 1790sThis article (published in 1930) lists wages of early American bricklayers, carpenters, masons, etc. in British currency with dollar equivalents. Source: Monthly Labor Review, Jan 1930, p. 10.
- Comparison of wages in the U.S. and England, 1790s-mid 1800sChapter titled "Wages in America and England" in the book History of manufactures in the United States, 1607-1860 discusses wages for various occupations at different times. Most of the actual wage rates are listed on pages 391-397.
MILITARY and GOVERNMENT PAY, 1790s
- Congressional salaries, 1789-presentLists salaries along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
$10 gold coin in 1795 - U.S. Navy captain's pay, 1799Communication to Congress tells captain's pay as of 1799 along with arguments for why it should be increased. Source: Naval Affairs Vol. I, American State Papers, p. 70.
- Military medical personnel - Compensation, 1799-1802Shows pay rates for the physician-general, apothecary-general, hospital surgeons, etc. Source: Congressional statute.
- Wages by occupation - Massachusetts, 1790sRecommended reading: Colonial Currency in History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928.
- New Hampshire wages, 1790sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of wages dating from the 1790s such as carpenter's wages in 1790 and 1796 and domestic help in 1783 to 1792.
- Wage for one day's labor in Albany (New York), 1793-1846Chart lists the wage paid for one day of labor in Albany, New York for each year from 1793-1846. Compares to the price of wheat and fowls.
- Unskilled labor - Pay in New York state, mid 1790sFemale servants were paid five shillings per week and day laborers received four shillings per day, or $10 per month. Source: Liancourt's Travels, p. 156.
- Wages, 1785-1830 - Philadelphia areaShows average annual wages for artisans, laborers and agricultural workers in the Philadelphia area. See table explanation for detail. Source: Historical Statistics of the U.S., p. 163.
- 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.
- Wages in Richmond by race and sex, 1795Shows estimated annual wages of household male servants, white male laborers and the cost to hire "female servants (chiefly negroes)." Source is not a government document.
Foreign wages, 1790-1799
- Agricultural labor - Average daily wages in England, 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.
- Wages in Scotland by parish, 1790-1797Wages by occupation and parish in Statistical account of Scotland by John Sinclair. See Tullynessle wages from vol. 4 as an example. .
- France - Wages in 1790 and 1795Informal letter mentions the increase in prices and wages since the revolution. Source: A Residence in France during the years 1792, 1793, 1794 and 1795.
- Wages for household occupations - London, 1776Anecdotal evidence of quarterly salaries paid to a household's cook, coachman, footman, house maid and chambermaid, presumably in London. This is from book which teaches how to keep track of accounts, and the data may just be examples. Source, pp. 61-62.
Food prices in the United States, 1790-1799
- Massachusetts - Food pricesSource: Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th ann. rept. of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright.
- Dairy products - Prices for butter; eggs and cheese; quarts of milk.
- Food preparations - Biscuits, chocolate, coffee, molasses, lard, starch, salt, sugar and tea
- Flour and meal - including "Indian Meal" and rye meal
- Agricultural products - Apples, barley, beans, corn, oats, potatoes, rice, rye, turnips
- Meats - Beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, veal
- Fish - Price by the 100/lb. quantity, and also herring and saltfish by the pound.
- Beverages - Brandy, cider, wine, gin, rum
- Spices and condiments - Allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, pimento, vinegar
- Price of provisions in Hagar's Town MD, 1794In a narrative of his travels in the United States in 1794 (source), author Henry Wansey reported the prices for corn, potatoes, flour, apples, butter, cheese, sugar, Port wine, Madeira, cider, mutton, veal, bacon, ham, fowls and ducks.
- New Hampshire prices, 1790sThe 1872 New Hampshire Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the Legislature (source) shows prices dating as far back as the 1600s, including the following:
- 1790 - Corn, veal
- 1796 - Rye meal, butter, pork, chickens, beer, beans, live pig, wheat, corn, pigeons, fish
- 1797 & 1798 - Potatoes, apples, corn, cider, mutton
- Prices of provisions in New York, 1794In a narrative of his travels in the United States in 1794 (source), author Henry Wansey reports the price of pineapple from the Bahamas, turkeys, eggs, beef, butter, beef, fish, lobster, eels, green peas, cucumbers, raspberries, cherries, ducks, currants, onions, mulberries, lambs, salmon and sturgeon.
- Price of wheat and fowls in Albany, New York - 1793-1846Also shows daily wages for each year from 1793-1846. Source: Documents of the Senate (NY) no. 92, 1846 v.3, p. 25.
- Farm household expenditures and prices - Pennsylvania, 1790sA farm family's account book shows a wide variety of items that were purchased, along with prices. Source: "Farm prices in two centuries," Report of the Statistician, USDA, pp. 339-340
- Land prices - Pennsylvania, 1792Source: View of land laws in Pennsylvania Chapter 23, p. 159 and "Prices of lands" Appendix 4, page 273. Portions reprinted in: Penn. Surveyor General 1866 ann. rpt. pp. 13-14.
- Price of flour by the barrel - Philadelphia, 1785-1828Prices as listed in the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, published in 1830. Not a government document.
- Provision prices in Pennsylvania, 1794In a narrative of his travels in 1794 (source), author Henry Wansey reported the following prices in places he visited:
- Philadelphia - Beef, veal, mutton, ox-heart, turkey, pigeons, pork, butter
- Sunbury, PA - Beef, venison, cider
- Trenton, PA - Beef, mutton, veal
- Muncy Creek, PA - Beef
- Food prices in Richmond VA, 1794See section titled "Prices of various articles in Richmond Virginia." It mostly shows prices of items bought in large quantities, for example potatoes by the bushel, wheat by the barrel, coffee per "cwt" (100 pounds), rum per gallon by the "hhd" (hogshead). Shows the price for 50 pounds of chocolate and more. Source
- Price of provisions in Winchester VA, 1794In a narrative of his travels in the United States in 1794 (source), author Henry Wansey reported the following prices in Winchester, VA: corn, oats, wheat, barley, rye, potatoes, apples, peaches, butter, cheese, honey, cane and maple sugar, sherry, port, porter, cider, mutton, pork, venison, salmon, ducks, geese, turkey, pheasants, and partridges on pp. 169-170.
Housing and land prices by state, 1790-1799
- U.S. average land prices, 1774-1805Shows average prices of cultivated land and unimproved land. Source: Economica: a statistical manual for the United States (1806), p. 60.
- House rent and urban land - U.S. average prices, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- Land values by state, 1799Source: History of North America (1820), p.233.
- House and land values - District of Columbia, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including the value of lots in the 'new federal city of Washington'. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
- Boston - House and lot values, 1798Lists attributes of dwelling houses (stories, sq. ft. size, number of windows), as well as lot size and street location, and gives the estimated value of each. Source: Records relating to the early history of Boston..., pp. 120-442.
- House rent and land prices - Boston, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- House and land values - Massachusetts, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including of elegant houses in Boston and land in Worchester, MA. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
- Land prices in Maine, 1785-1812Source: Statistical view of the district of Maine (1816), p. 103.
- House rent and land prices - Baltimore, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- House and land values - Maryland, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including of estates in Hagar's Town, MD. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
- House and land values - New Jersey, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including of land for let and for sale in Newark, NJ, two estates in New Jersey, and land in Piscataway, NJ. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
- House rent and land prices - New York City, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- Land prices in New York state, 1791Source: Documentary history of the state of New-York vol. 3, pp. 647-658.
- House and land values - New York, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including of:
- House rents and shopkeeper rent in New York City
- Elegant villa on 80 acres 5 miles from New York City
- Land near Albany
- Sale of military lands in Cato, Pompey, Tully and Hannibal, Hector and Dryden (New York state) (plus cost of clearing land in New York County)
- Land in Elizabeth Town, NY
- Land in New York
- Land prices and rents, 1794Shows typical land prices and the cost to rent fields in Pennsylvania. Prices in British pounds sterling. Source: Some information respecting America by Thomas Cooper.
- House rent and land prices - Philadelphia, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- House and land values - Pennsylvania, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including of:
- Log houses in Hamburg and Northumberland, PA
- Value of house at Muncy Creek, PA
- Land in Pennsylvania
- Land and labor in Middleton, PA
- Land in Sunbury and Muncy Creek, PA (plus cost of labor, surveying and clearing of land in Sunbury and price of grubbing land in Muncy Creek)
- House rent and land prices - Charleston SC, 1790 and 1795Source: Economica by S. Blodget (pub. 1806).
- Land prices and rents, 1794Shows typical land prices and the cost to rent fields in Virginia as well as typical rent in Richmond Virginia or in the countryside nearby. Prices in British pounds sterling. Source: Some information respecting America by Thomas Cooper.
- House and land values - Virginia, 1794The author of this travel narrative reports on prices for houses and land he encountered while touring the U.S. in 1794, including for lodging in Winchester, VA. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
More prices in the United States, 1790-1799
Prices for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, 1790s
- Massachusetts - Prices for household itemsSource: Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th ann. rpt. of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885).
- Book prices, 1792This Philadelphia printer's advertisement in the December 3, 1792 issue of the Gazette of the United States includes a price list (in dollars) of books available.
- Candles, wood, soap, coal, and wool (various towns) - 1794In a narrative of travels in 1794, prices are reported for soap, candles, wood, coals at Hagar's Town, MD; candles at Winchester, VA; a cord of wood at Philadelphia; wool at Muncy Creek, PA. Source: An excursion to the United States of North America, in the summer of 1794.
Prices for CLOTHING and SEWING SUPPLIES, 1790s
- Massachusetts - Prices for clothing and sewing suppliesFind retail prices in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the 16th annual report of the Mass. Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 1885) by Carroll D. Wright.
- Footwear - Boots, shoes, sandals, buckles, shoe leather, slippers.
- Clothing - Hats, stockings, hose, gloves, breeches, pantaloons, shawls and vests.
- Dress goods - Calico, cambric, gauze, gingham, muslin, poplin, satinet, serge, velvet.
- Dry goods - Cotton flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings, ticking, and more.
- Cloth - Broadcloth, cassimere, lambskin, wild boar cloth, corduroy and more.
- Small wares - Yarn, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread.
- Buttons and ribbons
- Fine clothing prices - Philadelphia, 1797Newspaper advertisement for a clothes-making shop lists prices of fine men's shirts, silk hose, cotton hose, and a variety of fabrics.
- Footwear and hat prices - Richmond VA, 1795Shows the price of hats, shoes and boots in British pounds sterling, p.99.
- Shoe prices - Maryland, 1794Tells price of shoes in Hagar's Town, MD (in shillings). Source: An excursion to the United States of North America, in the summer of 1794 by Henry Wansey.
Prices for TRAVEL and TRANSPORTATION, 1790s
- Coach transportation rates in New York City, 1794Rates for coach transportation in New York City, listed in pounds and shillings. Source, p.282
- Stage coach rates between New York and Philadelphia, 1799Fares found in a Philadelphia newspaper. See it on the full page.
Stagecoach fare and baggage fees, 1799 - Tavern food and drink prices in Richmond VA, 1794Prices for breakfast, dinner and cold supper at the Eagle Tavern. The following page shows the room rate to spend the night. Source: Some information respecting America by Thomas Cooper (1795), p.96.
- Stage coach fare - New Hampshire to Boston, MA in 1793Tells us stage fare from Haverhill, NH to Boston was 3d. (pence) per mile in 1793. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).
- Toll road charges in Pennsylvania, 1794Shows charges to travel on a toll road between Philadelphia and Lancaster, PA in 1794.
Prices for BUILDING SUPPLIES, 1790s
- Massachusetts - Prices for hardware and building suppliesPlank, joist and shingle prices. Tacks and brad prices (wholesale). Source: Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living in the 16th Ann. rpt. of the Mass. Bureau of Statistics of Labor.
- Virginia (Richmond) - Building materials, 1794Includes building logs, flooring planks, roofing shingles, bricks, window glass, wallpaper, etc. Also shows costs to pay builders. Source: Some information respecting America by T. Cooper.
- Maryland - Building supplies, 1794Price of bricks, window glass and more in Hagar's Town, MD. Source: An excursion to the United States ... by Henry Wansey.
- New York - Brick prices, 1794Source: An excursion to the United States ... by Henry Wansey.
Prices for ANIMALS, 1790s
- New York state - Cow and oxen prices, mid-1790s"A cow is usually valued at $25-30 and a good pair of oxen will sell for $70," in south-central New York state, according to this source, p. 156.
- Maryland - Animal prices, mid-1790sPrice of oxen, plough horses, sheep, horse carts and wagons at Hagerstown.
- Virginia - Animal prices, mid 1790sPrices of oxen, cows and calves, plough and wagon horses, sheep and lambs at Winchester.
- Horse value, 1791A 1791 treaty with the Cherokee Indians set the value of horses at $50 each (see article IV).
- Livestock prices - Ohio, 1793-1834This table shows the average auction prices at Rambouillet of rams, ewes, wethers, and wool. Source: 17th Annual Report of the Ohio Board of Agriculture, pp. 482-483
Prices for HEALTH CARE, 1790s
- Health care service costs - Philadelphia, late 1700sArticle 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.
POSTAL RATES
- Postage rates for letters mailed in the U.S., 1792-1863Shows price to mail a domestic letter. Not included are postage rates for ship and steamboat letters or letters for local delivery. Source: Historian of the USPS.
- Postage rates - Philadelphia, 1794Expressed in shillings. Source: An excursion to the United States... by H. Wansey, pp. 151-152.
NEWSPAPERS
- Price of a newspaper subscription in Philadelphia, 1798The Nov 19, 1798 issue of the Gazette of the United States, & Philadelphia daily advertiser advertises its subscription price per annum (in dollars).
Prices for ENTERTAINMENT, 1790s
- Theater admittance - Boston, 1794The author of this travel narrative tells prices he experienced while touring the U.S. Source: An excursion to the United States... in the summer of 1794 by H. Wansey.
- Ticket price to see an elephant in Philadelphia, 1796Source: Dec 8, 1796 Gazette of the U.S. & Philadelphia daily advertiser (see full page).
MISCELLANEOUS prices, 1790s
- 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.
- School tuition in New York state, ca. 1796It cost 4 shillings per quarter to attend a Quaker school. Source: Liancourt, p. 156-157.
- Miscellaneous prices in New Hampshire , 1790sThe 1872 New Hampshire Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the Legislature (source) shows prices dating as far back as the 1600s, including boards and leather in 1790 and shoes and paper in 1797 and 1798.
Foreign prices by country, 1790-1799
ENGLAND
- Food, beer, candle and coal prices - London, 1740-1865Shows 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.
- Bread prices in England, 1784-1816Shows 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.
- London - Wholesale prices and duties as of January 15, 1793This weekly list showed wholesale prices for raw materials and agricultural products such as spices, dyes, fibers, silk, grains, leather, metals, etc. Of special interest may be the prices for "common hair powder," opium, wine, sugar, tea, sail cloth, tobacco from America and more. Source: Universal London Price Current.
- Retail prices in Great BritainShows retail prices of bread throughout the UK as well as other foodstuffs in London from the colonial period up to the 1880s. Source: Report on wholesale and retail prices in the United Kingdom
The following book was noted in the statistical literature for providing actual English working class family budgets for the late 18th century. It does list amounts in English money, so users may wish to check this U.S. dollars to British pounds exchange rate calculator.
- Working class family income and expenditures, England, 1790sThis book lists prices, family expenditures, family income and living conditions for the working class in England. It provides information in narrative form for many localities beginning with Bedfordshire. See the complete list of localities or "Parochial Reports" in the table of contents, and use the "Jump to" box to move quickly to any page in the book. Source: "The State of the Poor" by Frederick Morton Eden (1797)
SCOTLAND
- Prices in Scotland by parish, 1790-1797Shows prices of food, rent, coal, peat, farm animals and (for some parishes) typical annual household expenses. Source: Statistical account of Scotland by John Sinclair. See Dunbarton prices in vol. 4 as an example. Click "More..." for direct links to each volume's table of contents:
- Medicine prices, doctor and midwife fees - Glasgow, 17998-page booklet shows "Prices of medicines and attendance fixed by the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow; sixth December, 1799."
CANADA
- Food prices in Halifax, Canada - 1794In a narrative of his travels in 1794 (source), author Henry Wansey reported the prices of beef, cheese, sugar, and milk on page 3.
SOUTH AMERICA
- Guyana (Demerara) - Prices in 1798In addition to provisions, the prices of clothing are also listed. These remarks by a resident of Stabroek in the Dutch colony Rio Demerara (present Guyana) tell prices (in Guilders and Stivers) of doctor's visits, river ferries, various foods and alcohol and land (in pounds sterling). Source: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, for the year 1799; and Letter #27 from Vol. 3 of "Notes on the West Indies: written during the expedition under the command of the late General Sir Ralph Abercromby," pub. 1806.
- Exchange rates for dollars and foreign currency, 1799Source: History of North America (1820).
Economic analysis and calculators, 1790s
- History of Wages in the U.S. from Colonial Times to 1928Provides 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.
- Online calculator: Present-day purchasing power of historic monetary amountsThe MeasuringWorth.com website provides online calculators, guides and tutorials to help researchers understand historic monetary purchases and payments in present-day terms, for the United States, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
- "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
- Price of gold and silver in various currencies, 1797-1838Shows the Spanish dollar price and the British pound price for one ounce of gold or silver for each year from 1797-1838. Also shows the cost for gold and silver on Hamburg and Paris exchanges. Source: A History of Prices... by Thomas Tooke, p.386.
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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
