Prices and Wages by Decade: 1820-1829

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, 1820-1829

Building-trades wages - 1800 through 1836
Wages of bricklayers, carpenters, masons, etc. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor Monthly Labor Review
Farm laborer monthly earnings, 1818-1948
Lists average monthly earnings with board, by geographic divisions. Data for years: 1818, 1826, 1830, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1909, 1919, 1929, 1940, 1948. Read the explanation and historical context for this table.
Farm labor in Vermont - Daily wages, 1780-1820s
Table 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.
Pay on Navy ships (U.S.), 1820-1821
Source shows the monthly pay, rations, etc. paid to workers on Navy ships in various ports including New Orleans, Baltimore, Washington DC, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Erie PA and others. Positions include the captain, lieutenants, ship's surgeon, surgeon's mate, purser, sailing-master, midshipmen, stewards, gunners, carpenter, carpenter's mate, captain's clerk, chaplain, cook, armorer, coxswain, Navy storekeeper, ordinary seamen and boys. On page 836 fine the average daily wage paid to those who constructed Navy ships, (North Carolina, 1818-1820) including mast makers, sail makers, riggers, painters, ship joiners, blacksmiths and others Source: U.S. Congress, American State Papers, Naval Affairs Vol. 1, p. 829-835.
Navy pay charts (U.S.) - 1814-1893
This is not a government website but it does a good job of organizing a complex topic. If you need original government documents showing pay, contact us.
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. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, p. 163.
Wages by occupation in Massachusetts (1820s)
From the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 16th Annual Report.
Wage for one day's labor in Albany (New York), 1793-1846
Chart 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.
Women's wages in clothing manufacture, Philadelphia
Women working in the Provident Society in Philadelphia earned 12.5 cents for each shirt made, and might be able to finish two shirts in a day. Source: A warning voice to the cotton and tobacco planters, farmers, published 1824.
Women's wages as domestic servants in New York, 1826
The usual wages were $4.00-5.00 a month according to this congressional report on the history of women in the U.S. labor force.
Government employees, federal - Salaries, 1820s
The Official Register of the United States (title varies) shows the salaries of named individuals, from the U.S. president all the way down to mail clerks.
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.
New Hampshire wages, 1820s
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 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830. It tells us that in 1825, an man made $10 a month or $18 a month in haying; in 1829, haying paid 67 cents per day.
Clergy salaries in New Hampshire, 1820 & 1826
This publication tells the salaries of a Congregational reverend in 1820 and a Presbyterian reverend in 1826 in the town of Chester, NH. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).

Wages in Foreign Countries, 1820-1829

Spain - Wages in 1827, 1868 and 1902
Tells wages in pesetas. Published in Great Britain by the Historical Section of the Foreign Office; see title page.
United Kingdom - Wages, 1810-1886
Extensive, 437-page government report indicates detailed wages by occupation in many locations throughout the UK. Wages are reported in British currency.
Great Britain (Wales) - "Sin eater" earnings
"The 'sin eater' derived his sole income from taking upon himself the moral trespasses of the newly departed.... The going rate for that extraordinary service was sixpence in 1825." Source: The High cost of dying published 1963. Not a government document.

Economic analysis and calculators, 1820s

Nineteenth century wage trends
30-page booklet reviews overall wage trends from 1800-1899. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff Paper #2.
Online calculator: Present-day purchasing power of historic monetary amounts
The 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 Association, Vol. 101 #2. Source
Price of gold and silver in various currencies, 1797-1838
Shows 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.

Prices in the United States, 1820-1829

PRICES for FOOD, 1820s

Massachusetts - Prices for food, 1700s-1850s
Source: Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living from the 16th Annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor.
- Dairy products
  Prices of butter, cheese and milk.
- Food preparations
  Prices for bread, biscuits, sugar, salt, tea, lemons, chocolate, coffee, crackers, raisins, lard, macaroni, molasses, and more.
- Flour and meal
  Wheat flour, "Indian meal," rye meal, oatmeal and more.
- Agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, grains)
- Meats and nuts
  Prices for bacon, beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, almonds, filberts, walnuts and more.
- Poultry and game
  Price per pound of goose, turkey, and poultry.
- Fish
  Prices for halibut, herring, haddock, salmon, codfish, eels, etc. by the pound.
- Alcohol 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
  Includes price of many different spices and vinegar
Food, fuel and provisions - Prices in Cincinnati Ohio, 1825-1892
Shows prices for bacon, rice, sugar, coffee, cheese and butter by the pound; grains, beans and apples by the bushel, flour by the barrel, molasses by the gallon and more. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th Annual Report (1893).
Prices in Pennsylvania, 1820-1829
A 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. 343-344.
Price of wheat and fowls in Albany, New York - 1793-1846
Table reports annual data for price of wheat and fowls as well as wages paid for one day's service for every year from 1793-1846.
Prices of staple items in the New York market, 1825-1829
This U.S. Treasury document shows prices for each month as well as yearly averages from 1825-1863 for flour, rice, fruits, fish, pork, beef, butter, cheese, salt, sugar, molasses, whiskey, brandy, wine, gin, rum, coffee, tea, tobacco, candles, hides, furs, leather, nails, whalebone, wool and more. Items priced are by the barrel or the ton are likely wholesale prices.
New Hampshire prices, 1820s
The 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830 and pages 42-43 look at 1826 and 1827.

PRICES for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, 1820s

Prices of staple items in the New York market, 1820s
This congressional document shows prices for each month from 1825-1863 for candles, hides, furs, leather, nails, whalebone, wool and more. Some items are priced are by the barrel or the ton, but others are priced by the gallon or pound.
Coal, salt, soap etc. prices in Cincinnati Ohio, 1825-1892
Prices for salt, cotton, soap and coal as well as many foods. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th Annual Report (1893)
New Hampshire prices, 1820s
The 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830 and pages 42-43 look at 1826 and 1827.
Massachusetts - Prices for household items
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.
- Furniture
  Bedsteads, bed cords, bureaus, tables and chairs are listed, with some prices dating to the 1790s.
- Carpetings
  Prices date to 1794.
- 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.
- 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.
Louisiana - household items and goods, prices in 1821
Itemized selling prices at the 1821 estate sale for a prosperous land owner in Ouachita Parish, LA. Items sold included dishes, cookware, linens, furniture, tools, guns, wagons, plows and more. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set #661, pp. 118-127.
Clock as sold by peddlers, 1820s
This items describes how clock movements were "hawked about the country by peddlers" for about $20 in 1820-1830. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).

PRICES for CLOTHING and SEWING SUPPLIES, 1820s

Massachusetts - Prices for clothing and sewing supplies
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.
- Clothing
  Hats, handerchiefs and stockings back to the 1760s; gloves, breeches, pantaloons, hose and coats back to 1780s; shawls and vests back to the 1790s; mittens and waistcoats back to the 1810s.
- 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 1880s. 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 TRANSPORTATION, 1820s

Ocean passage from Ireland to the U.S. - Price in 1828
Source dated 1828 places the cost of the ocean passage at $30 and the cost of provisions for the trip, $15. Source: Miscellaneous Pamphlets by Mathew Carey, #9, "Essay on Emigration from Ireland, and Immigration into the United States."
Value of horses, 1825
This report includes a list of claims of horses stolen from the Delaware tribe on their journey from Indiana to Missouri. Each claim tells the price or value of horses. Source: Serial Set No. 126
Steam boat fares, 1825 & 1826
In 1823, it cost half as much to steam down a river than up, against the current.
(image source)
The 1825 first edition of The northern traveller tells steam boat fare on Lake Champlain, from Whitehall to St. John's Lower Canada, and from Boston to Eastport.
The 1826 2nd edition was improved and extended and contains fares for many destinations (Tip: use the 'Search in this text' tool to find the word "fare" or your destination of interest).

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Sources: The northern traveller; containing the routes to Niagara, Quebec and the Springs; with the tour of New England and the route to the coal mines of Pennsylvania by Theodore Dwight, multiple editions.
Steamboat fares on Ohio and Mississippi rivers, early 1820s
Shows fares and travel times between Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Louisiana. Source: Steamboat Days, p. 337.
Stagecoach fare and ferry charges, 1820s
Shows fares for selected routes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maine. Source: Story of Railroad Passenger Fares, published 1942.
Stage from North to South Carolina, 1821
This travelogue tells what the author paid to travel from Wilmington to Charlseton by stage in 1821. Source: Prominent features of a northern tour, 1822.
Carriage hire and steamboat fare - 1828
Saddle horse, 1826
(image source)
This travelogue tells some of the author's travel expenses, including terms to hire a carriage, driver, and pair of horses (plus a baggage wagon) from Savannah to New Orleans and steam boat fare from New Orleans to Louisville on the Mississippi (also tells how many cords of wood were burned in a day and the cost of each cord).

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Source: Travels in North America, in the years 1827 and 1828 by Captain Basil Hall (1829). Not a government document.
Travel fare and map prices, 1824-1825
The American traveller guide gives prices of maps and charts (in Philadelphia in 1824), fare on steamboats leaving Philadelphia and on mail stages leaving Wilmington, and Atlantic crossings from New York to Liverpool and Havre.

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Source: The American traveller; or, National directory by Daniel Hewett (1825).
Stage coach fare, 1826
This table of disbursements includes stage fare, meals and lodging for travelers in 1826 (tip: use the 'Rotate clockwise' button on the right-hand side of the reading pane to reorient the page view). Source: Serial Set No. 156.
Funeral hearses in New Hampshire, 1826
Tells the price (in dollars) the town of Chester, NH, paid for two hearses for funeral purposes in 1826. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).
Lodging and board for travelers and their horses, 1820s
- Richmond, 1820 - Franklin Tavern
- Alexandria, 1822 - Charles Scott's livery stable
- Baltimore, 1829 - Fountain Inn

PRICES for TOOLS and BUILDING MATERIALS, 1820s

Price of lumber by type of wood, and iron, copper and lead for ship building
Source tells the amount paid by the federal government for lumber in 1818-1820; the wood was used to build ships. About a dozen wood types are broken out, including oak, pine, cherry, ash, locust, maple and mahogany.
Massachusetts - Prices for hardware and building materials
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.
- Tools and implements
  Hoes, shovels, spades, files, etc. priced by the dozen or when sold individually. Earliest price figure is from 1790s.
- Lumber
  Price for boards, plank, shingles, timber, clapboards, etc. by the foot.
- Tacks, brads and nails
  Priced by the pound. Earliest prices date to 1790s.

COST of ATTENDING COLLEGE, 1820s

Harvard - Cost to attend in 1828
"Estimate of the expenses of a student at Harvard College for one year...1828"
College of New Jersey - 1829-1830
Itemizes the cost of attending the college, with tuition for 22 weeks ($44.00), room rent, fuel in winter, servant's wages, washing, etc.
Williams College (Massachusetts) 1823-1824
"Good board may be had for a dollar by walking a mile. The best wood is sold for $1.50 a cord. From twelve to seventeen cents a week is paid for washing...." Tuition for each term is $7.50.
Williams College (Massachusetts) 1829-1830
Tuition at $8.00 per term amounted to $24.00 per year. Board was $1 to $1.50 per week.
Kenyon College (Ohio) - 1828
"The whole expenses of one year's board, tuition and washing do not exceed 60 dollars...."

HEALTH PRICES, 1820-1829

Pills, medicinal ointments, and other remedies - Retail prices
Newspaper ad lists one retailer's prices for products to relieve fever, headache, toothache, coughs, rheumatism, etc. Source: Delaware newspaper dated Dec 14, 1824.
Medical charges in Boston, 1820 & 1825
These are fee bill tables showing the lowest allowable charge for a number of medical services as performed by members of the Boston Medical Association, including midwifery, operations and amputations, tooth extraction, vaccinations, and more, for the years:
- 1820 (source)
- 1825 (source)
Physicians fees in Connecticut, 1829-1838
This list of fees for physicians in the New Haven, CT area was established in 1829 and was not revised until 1838. It set prices for day and night visits, consultations, mileage, parturition, venesection, cathartic, and emetic.

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Source: The practice of medicine in New Haven following the revolution by Creighton Barker (1924).

PRICES for SERVICES, 1820s

Postage rates for letters mailed in the U.S., 1792-1863
Chart from the Historian of the United States Postal Service shows price to mail a domestic letter. Not included are postage rates for ship and steamboat letters and "drop letters" (for local delivery), which were assigned different rates.
Price of a newspaper or newspaper subscription
We recommend using the Library of Congress' "Chronicling America" website to find prices and subscription rates for individual newspaper titles in specific years. Click into the site and set the year boxes to your date range. Click "GO" and then check the "Show only front pages" box. If the price is not in the masthead, search for publisher's information somewhere in the body of the paper - often in the left column of the front page. Annual subscription rates are likely to be described there.
Haircut and shave price - Alexandria VA, 1822
One barber advertised rates at $9 per year for daily shaves; $7 per year for shaves 3x/week, and $5 per year for twice weekly shaves. This works out to be about 2.5 to 5 cents per shave.
Haircut and shave price - Richmond VA, 1828
Newspaper advertisement shows a certain barber's haircut prices at 12½¢ and shaves at 6¼¢.
Theater admission price - Richmond VA, 1829
Newspaper ad shows the price for seats at the Richmond Theater (box seats, pit, gallery, etc.)

MISCELLANEOUS PRICES, 1820s

Selected book prices, 1817-1822
List shows the price of books acquired for the U.S. Navy from 1817-1822. Most dealt with military and political history, geography and related topics.

Prices in Foreign Countries, 1820-1829

PRICES in CANADA, 1820s

Prices and wages in Canada, ca. 1820
Emigrant's guide published in Dublin tells what to expect if moving to the wild areas of Canada. Written in narrative format. Mentions of prices and wages appear throughout the book.

PRICES in COLOMBIA, 1820s

Medical fees in Colombia, 1822-23
This author reports on the medical fees encountered while traveling in Colombia in 1822 & 1823: "In some inland places the medical fee was formerly una real, literally the eighth of a dollar; I have not any where heard of more than four reals, or half a dollar a visit." Source: A visit to Colombia, in the years 1822 & 1823 by Col. William Duane (1826), p.79.

PRICES in GREAT BRITAIN, 1820s

Average house rent in Great Britain, 1821-1881
Also calculates average house rent per house inhabitant. Does not include Ireland. Amounts shown in British currency. Source: Mulhill's Dictionary of Statistics, p. 236.
Transportation costs in London, ca. 1827
See "Expense of keeping a groom and one saddle horse in your own stable," 1827
(image source)
Detailed examination of costs to buy and maintain horses and carriages, including options to use a livery stable and hire coachmen, compared compared to hiring hackney coaches per ride. Source: The traveller's oracle, pp. 11-43 and pp. 286-291.
England - Bread prices, 1817-1846
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. Price sources are provided on pp. 21-22.

PRICES in ITALY, 1820s

Italy - Food prices in Milan, 1801-1908
Lists prices of wheat, bread, wine, beef, pork, butter and rice. Source: Bulletin of the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Vol. 20 #87, pp. 599-607.

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