Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1850-1859

Wages, 1850-1859

Jump down to WAGES ...
In FOREIGN COUNTRIES
ANALYSIS OF WAGE TRENDS

Jump down to PRICES for ...
FOOD
CLOTHING, SHOES and SEWING SUPPLIES
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
HARDWARE & BUILDING MATERIALS
TRANSPORTATION
MISCELLANEOUS PRICES
COST of ATTENDING COLLEGE
PRICES in FOREIGN COUNTRIES

WAGES in the UNITED STATES

Wages by occupation, state/territory and race - 1850
Table titled "Average Wages, 1850" reports amounts for day laborers, farm hands, carpenters and female domestic workers, with and without board. The text below the table compares the amount paid for hired-out slaves to wages paid to free whites. In addition, the footnote of the table provides wage comparisons for a few occupations in England.
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 here.
Manufacturing wages by sex, industry, and state - 1850
Separate tables for each manufacturing industry (cotton, woolen, mining, iron, fisheries, salt manufacture, etc.) Wages for males and females separately reported. Check the column labels in each tables to find those that report wage data. Tables span pages 180-183 in this source.
History of Wages in the United States from Colonial times to 1928
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:
- Building trades, 1840-1900
  Listed wages for bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, stationary engineers, stationary firemen, hod carriers, building laborers, marble cutters, stone masons, painters, plasterers, plumbers, stone cutters, granite cutters and tile layers.
- Clothing manufacture, 1851-1898
  Listed wages for dressmakers and sewing machine operators
- Farm labor, 1841-1899
- Glass and clay products, 1841-1898
  Listed wages for glass blowers, potters, kiln placers and turners.
- Iron and steel workers, 1840-1899
  Listed wages for furnace keepers for pig-iron blast furnaces and other jobs in iron and steel.
- Laborers, 1840-1900
- Leather products, 1855-1900
  Listed wages for shoemakers, leather cutters, stitchers, vampers, lasters and tanners.
- Metal trades other than iron or steel, 1840-1900
  Listed wages for blacksmiths in railroad shops, machine shops and other places, boiler makers in foundries and machine shops, core makers, horseshoers, foundry laborers, lathe hands, machinists, millwrights in flour mills and other places, iron molders, pattern makers, tool and die makers.
- Mining -- Coal mine and iron mine industries, 1840-1900
  Wages for coal mine drivers, loaders, coal miners, iron miners, drilling machine operators, timbermen for the mines
- Printing and publishing, 1842-1900
  Wages for bookbinders, press feeders, proof readers, compositors for newspapers and other shops, pressmen (operators of the printing press), stereotypers
- Textiles - Cloth manufacture, 1842-1900
  Wages for doffers, drawing frame tenders, cotton dyers, loom fixers, cotton spinners, cotton weavers
- Textiles - Hosiery and underwear manufacture, 1842-1900
  Wages for knitters of hosiery and underwear, weavers and winders of silk goods, dressers and dyers of woolen and worsted goods, loom fixers, spinners, wool sorters
- Transportation industry wages, 1840-1900
  Wages for railroad brakemen, conductors for passenger railroads, conductors for freight railroads, locomotive engineers and firemen, longshoremen, 1-horse teamsters, 2-horse teamsters and teamsters non-specified.
- Woodworking trades, 1845-1900
  Wages for cabinet makers, coopers, sawyers, loggers, lumber laborers, woodworkers
Governors, state officials, legislators and judges' pay by state, 1830-1860
Find salary information listed under state names in the tables of contents for this source, the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge. Enter the page number found in the table of contents in the "Jump to page" box. This is not a government document.
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.
Navy salary and wages by naval base (U.S.) - 1851
Shows wages for ship captains, commanders, lieutenants, ship surgeons, boatswains, gunners, pursers, stewards, carpenters, seamen and various workers at navy yards and stations such as storekeepers, porters and clerks. Scroll forward in source to see additional naval locations.
Wages by occupation by sex, 1840-1891
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: agricultural implement manufacture (MA), ale, beer and porter (NY), book and newspaper publishers (CT, NY, MD), building trades (CT, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI), railroad car and ship building (DE), wagon and carriage manufacture (NY), city public works (MA, NY, PA) and cotton milling (MA). Source: 1893 report of the U.S. Congressional Committee on Finance titled "Wholesale prices, wages and transportation."
Wage rates on the Erie Canal, 1828-1881
This item is presently in copyright so it will be necessary to either find it in a library, or contact us for a lookup.

WAGES REPORTED at STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS

California wages - 1850s to around 1900
Bibliography of California state government publications tells what books list wages for various occupations including teachers (1850s-1880s), railroad employees (1870s-1880s), farm workers (1890s), miners and lumbermen (1902), and sailors (1904). If you need assistance tracking down the publications listed in this bibliography, contact us.
Illinois school teacher pay by gender, 1855-1874
Table shows the high, low and average pay received by school teachers in each year from 1855 to 1874 in Illinois. Source: 11th Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Illinois.
Kansas (Lawrence) - City officials' and school teachers' pay, 1857
Salaries for city officials, police and fire department personnel and school teachers as listed in the City Directory (not a government document).
Maine - School teacher wages by gender, 1856
Male teachers made about ten times more than females. See wage averages for the year 1852 elsewhere in the same volume.
Wages by occupation in Massachusetts (1850s)
From the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 16th Annual Report.
New Hampshire prices and wages, 1600s-mid 1800s
The 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of both prices and wages dating as far back as the 1600s. The book is not organized chronologically. Use Hathi Trust's keyword search feature or browse page by page.
Ohio - Wages for males and females, 1857
This source reviews the average levels of farm labor and household domestic wages alongside the price of room, board, and the price of wheat. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics.

Wages in foreign countries, 1850-1859

Canada - Wages and prices, 1853
Shows wages and prices in Canadian shillings and pence. "Emigration: papers relative to emigration to the North American colonies" shows wages for each of about 40 occupations in each region of Canda. See first quarter here. Page forward in the source to see tables for additional months of the year.
Wages in foreign countries - early 1850s
In 1854, the U.S. federal government sent surveys to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see questions). Most reported wages for jobs related to shipping, and some included wages for additional occupations.
Important: Find wages reported in question #7 of the "second series":
- Algeria--Algiers
- Argentina--Buenos Aires
- Austria--Vienna
- Australia--Sydney
- Brazil--Bahia
- Brazil--Para
- Chile--Talcahuano
- Costa Rica
- Cuba--Matanzas
- Equador
- England--London
- Fiji Islands
- France--Bordeaux
- Germany--Bremen
- Germany--Frankfort
- Germany--Hamburg
- Germany--Mannheim
- Gibraltar
- Greece--Ionian Islands
- Hawaii--Honolulu
- Hawaii--Lahaina
- Haiti--Aux Cayes
- Hong Kong
- India--Bombay
- Ireland--Cork
- Italy--Naples
- Italy--Sardinia
- Jamaica--Kingston
- Lebanon--Beirut
- Mexico--Acapulco
- Mexico--Tampico
  Ship-carpenters earned from $3 to $3.50 per day; house-carpenters (American) earned $2.50 per day; house-carpenters (Mexican) earned $1.50 per day; bricklayers and plasterers earned $2.50 per day; stone masons (American) earned $2.50 per day; stone masons (Mexican) earned $1.50 per day; common laborers earned 62 and a half cents per day; "good" house servants earned $10 per month; "inferior" house servants earned $4 to $8 per month; country hands earned $6 per month along with one ration of corn per day at the rate of 9 cents; blacksmiths earned from $3 to $3.50 per day.
- Morocco
- Netherlands--Rotterdam
- Newfoundland--St. John's
- Nova Scotia--Halifax
- Panama
- Panama--Aspinwall (also known as Colon) The Panama Railroad Company was a major employer here.
- Paraguay
- Peru--Callao
- Peru--Tumbez
- Philippines--Manila
- Portugal--Azores Islands--Fayal
- Portugal--Madeira--Funchal
- Prince Edward Island
- Prussia--Aix-La-Chapelle
- Prussia--Stettin
- Puerto Rico--Ponce
- Puerto Rico--St. John's (probably San Juan)
- Scotland--Dundee
- Scotland--Glasgow
- Singapore
- Spain--Cadiz
- Spain--Malaga
- Surinam--Paramaribo
- Sweden--Gothenburg
- Switzerland--Basle
- Turkey--Smyrna
- Tunisia--Tunis
- Venezuela--Puerto Cabello
- Zanzibar
...This is just a partial list of areas that were included in this wage survey. See the complete list for more.

Wages, 1850s - Analysis

Nineteenth Century Wage Trends
Brief 30-page booklet reviews overall wage trends from 1800-1899. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff Paper #2.
"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 and Wages in Antebellum America: the West Virginia Experience
Article by Donald R. Adams was printed in the March 1992 issue of Journal of Economic History. Available to MU affiliates and JStor subscribers.

PRICES for FOOD, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Food prices by town in 15 states, 1851-1880
Shows a progression of changing retail prices over time in about 65 towns for items such as wheat flour, beef, veal, mutton, pork, codfish, mackerel, cornmeal, cheese, butter, milk, eggs, beans, rice and other provisions. Source: 1890 Census. Click "MORE" to see states and counties:

more... less...

Listings are for cities in alphabetical order by state:
CT: Bridgeport, Collinsville, Danielsonville, Jewett City, Middletown, New Haven, New London, Plainville, Waterbury, Wauregan,
FL: Jacksonville,
IL: Alton, Belleville, Jacksonville, Rock Island,
IN: Evansville, Indianapolis, Lawrenceburg, Washington,
IA: Cedar Rapids,
KS: Leavenworth,
KY: Louisville,
MD: Baltimore,
MA: Boston, Holyoke, Springfield, Woburn,
MO: Bonne Terre, Pilot Knob, St. Louis,
NJ: Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, New Brunswick,
NY: Amsterdam, Buffalo, Cohoes, Homer, Oswego, Rome, Schenectady, Troy, Watertown,
OH: Alliance, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Hamilton, Ravenna, Sloan’s Station, Springfield, Steubenville, Wellsville, Xenia, Zanesville,
PA: Beaver Falls, New Castle, Norristown, Philadelphia, Sharon, Williamsport,
TN: Jackson, Memphis, Nashville,
WV: New Cumberland.
Coffee, tea and sugar prices by town in 15 states, 1851-1880
Shows a progression of changing retail prices over time in about 65 towns. Also includes price of molasses and syrup. Source: 1890 Census.

more... less...

Listings are for cities in alphabetical order by state:
CT: Bridgeport, Collinsville, Danielsonville, Jewett City, New Haven, Plainville, Waterbury, Wauregan,
FL: Jacksonville,
IL: Alton, Belleville, Jacksonville, Rock Island,
IN: Lawrenceburg, Washington,
IA: Cedar Rapids,
KS: Leavenworth,
KY: Louisville,
MD: Baltimore,
MA: Boston, Springfield,
MO: Pilot Knob, St. Louis,
NJ: Jersey City,
NY: Amsterdam, Buffalo, Cohoes, Homer, Oswego,Troy, Watertown,
OH: Alliance, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Hamilton, Ravenna, Sloan’s Station, Springfield, Steubenville, Zanesville,
PA: New Castle, Norristown, Philadelphia, Sharon, Williamsport,
TN: Jackson, Memphis, Nashville,
WV: New Cumberland.
Food, fuel and provisions - Prices in Ohio cities, 1825-1892
Shows high, low and average "selling prices" for food items such as eggs, dairy, grains, flour, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. as well as non-food items such as soap, hay, cotton, coal and more.for each year during the 1850s. Prices for Cincinnati are shown on pages 804-806. Prices for Columbus are on pages 818-821. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th annual report.
Ohio prices, 1830-1862
Table shows the price of coffee, sugar and tallow candles by the pound; corn and wheat by the bushel and hogs per each 100 pounds for each of these years: 1830, 1832, 1835, 1838, 1840, 1845, 1847, 1850, 1853, 1855, 1858, 1860, 1862. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics, 7th Annual Report (1863).
Prices of staple items in the New York market, 1850s
This congressional document shows prices for each month from 1825-1863 for flour, rice, fruits, fish, pork, beef, butter, cheese, salt, sugar, molasses, whiskey, brandy, wine, gin, rum, coffee, tea, tobacco and other non-food items. Some items are priced are by the barrel, but others are priced by the gallon or pound.
Meal plan rates by city for men and women, 1851-1880
Weekly boarding rates by selected cities and small towns in CT, IL, IN, KY, NY, OH, PA and TN.
Restaurant food and drink prices, 1850s
Searchable, scanned images of about 20 menus from the 1850s. (This is not a government source and does not list average prices across all restaurants.) It can be useful for spot-checking individual restaurant prices.
Massachusetts historical retail prices for food
Reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living, Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 1885.
- Dairy products
- Food preparations
- Flour and Meal
- Agricultural products (Fruits, vegetables, grains)
- Meats and Nuts
- Poultry and game
- Fish
- Liquors and Beverages
- Spices and condiments

PRICES for CLOTHING, SHOES and SEWING SUPPLIES, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Men's heavy boots, priced by the pair in dozens of U.S. towns and cities. This table spans two pages; see the town names on the first page and the 1850s prices on the second page.
Boots, shoes and leather prices in Massachusetts. Detailed prices for style and type of shoe, boot, sandal, slipper, rubber overshoe, etc.
Ready made clothing prices in Massachusetts: prices for hats, handkerchiefs and stockings, gloves, breeches, pantaloons, hose and coats, shawls and vests, mittens and waistcoats.
Fabric prices in dozens of U.S. towns and cities, including prices for shirtings, cotton flannel, ticking, prints, and more.
Cloth and dress goods in Massachusetts: 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. More fabrics are listed under the Dry goods heading which also shows prices for blankets, cotton flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings, ticking, and more. Also find prices for buttons and dress trimmings, ribbons and laces and small wares such as yarn, needles, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread.

PRICES for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Historical retail prices in Massachusetts: furniture, carpetings, cutlery (table knives and forks and pocket knives); paper: letter paper, priced by the sheet, tallow , candles, soap, etc.; oils for illumination, to light lamps and lanterns; fuel: charcoal, oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc.; tobacco and snuff: prices for cigars by the dozen, and tobacco and snuff by the pound or (sometimes) ounce. Miscellaneous household items: prices for brooms, brass kettles, brick, matches, tubs, tumblers, clocks, candlesticks, silver watches, feathers, wine glasses and more.
Price of soap and starch in dozens of U. S. cities. Scroll forward in the source to see tables for each city.

TRANSPORTATION PRICES, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Steamship, steamboat, stage coach and railroad ticket prices, 1851
Travel guide shows ticket prices and time tables. Lists railroad rates in cents per mile, alphabetically by the RR company. Steamship fare from New York to San Francisco via Panama in 1851 ranged from $165-330 depending on accommodation. Lists other travel costs such as cab or carriage fares between hotels and railway stations or wharfs in major cities. It may be necessary to use the text search feature to find any particular city or town.
Railroad passenger fares by RR company, 1850-1897
Source passenger fares expressed in cents per mile. The tables extend from pages 65-77. See title page of this source.
Transportation options, prices and traveling conditions, 1851
The Irish Emigrant's Guide for the United States, published in Boston in 1851, lists official prices for passage by ship from Liverpool to New York or Boston, alongside prices that Irish emigrants actually paid (apparently the fares were negotiable). Chapter 6 lists prices for traveling from New York or Boston to U.S. states further west. Compares traveling conditions for passengers taking railways, steamboats, and stagecoaches, and discusses typical prices for lodging and board during layovers near stations.
Hotel, lodging and meal rates for travelers, 1850s
Lodging and meal prices for travelers can sometimes be found in city directories' ad sections and in travel guides. Some examples include rates in San Francisco's What Cheer House and Central Hotel for 1854, and this page showing 1852 rates for two New York City hotels. Detroit's city directory showed the price for meals at hotels in 1850.

PRICES for HARDWARE and BUILDING MATERIALS, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Retail prices in Massachusetts for tools and implements: hoes, shovels, spades, files, etc. priced by the dozen or when sold individually. Lumber prices for boards, plank, shingles, timber, clapboards, etc. by the foot. Tacks, brads and nails priced by the pound.

MISCELLANEOUS PRICES, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Cost of items needed by new settlers - ca. 1855
Itemized prices for items necessary to live on timbered land: span of horses, yoke of oxen, cow, double wagon, plough, shovel, axe, saw, etc. Source: Emigrant's guide published in 1856.
New Hampshire prices and wages, 1600s-mid 1800s
The 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of both prices and wages dating as far back as the 1600s. The book is not organized chronologically. Use Hathi Trust's keyword search feature or browse page by page.
House rent by city, 1851-1880
Average monthly rents by number of rooms in selected cities across 15 states. Source: 1890 Census.
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.
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.

COST of ATTENDING COLLEGE, 1850s

See tabs above for additional price categories

Until we locate a government source listing college cost averages, we will list expenses for individual colleges as we find them. These are publications direct from the colleges; they are not government documents.

Prices in Foreign Countries, 1850-1859

Multiple countries
Belgium
Canada
Great Britain
Hawaii
Italy
Morocco
Spain
Turkey

Prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1850s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

Les Ouvriers Européens: études.
This French language work by Frédéric Le Play is considered an excellent source for European workingmen's family budgets from the 1830s-1850s.

Prices in BELGIUM, 1850s

Belgium - Working class family expenses, 1853 and 1867
Shows weekly expenses for families of 5 or 6 individuals in Belgium in 1853. Clothing expenses not included. Figures for 1867 are estimated by adding 20% to the 1853 data.

Prices in CANADA, 1850s

Canada - Prices in an emigrants' guide, 1853
Source shows both prices and wages in Canadian money. Also alludes to system of working off the cost of the passage from Europe to Canada.
- Prices for Upper Canada for May-July 1853 and July-Sep 1853.
- Prices for Eastern Canada for May-July 1853 and September-November 1853

Prices in GREAT BRITAIN, 1850s

England - Food prices and rent for cottages and land - 1770, 1850 and 1878
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. Includes farm labor wages as well. All amounts expressed in shillings.
England - Prices of leading commodities in London, 1851-1856
Table shows prices in pounds and shillings for food, fibers, raw materials, and metals purchased in large quantities. Source: A History of prices and of the state of the circulation during the nine years 1848 to 1856, by Thomas Tooke. Published in London. This is not a government publication.
England - Bread prices, 1847-1880
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.

Prices in HAWAII, 1850s

Hawaii, Honolulu -- Retail Prices, 1853-54
Retail prices for sugar, coffee, potatoes, beef, salt, wool, hides and more.

Prices in ITALY, 1850s

Italy, Milan - Prices of wheat, bread, etc., 1801-1908
Source: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 87, Volume XX. Published March 1910.

Prices in MOROCCO, 1850s

Morocco - Retail prices of selected export items - 1853-54
Retail prices of almonds, dates, hides, sheep skins, goat skins, wool, wax and more.

Prices in SPAIN, 1850s

Spain, Malaga - Retail food prices, 1853
Prices for wine, olive oil, fruits, nuts.

Prices in TURKEY, 1850s

Turkey - Average retail price of commodities exported to U.S. - 1853-54
Shows average retail prices of Turkish carpets, wool, nuts, tobacco, leeches and more in the city of Smyrna. Also lists wholesale price of opium per 100 pound case. Another table shows retail prices of items on the island of Candia, Turkey (modern day Crete)

Prices and Wages by Decade: 1850-1859

Wages, 1850-1859

Wages in foreign countries, 1850-1859

Wages, 1850s - Analysis

Prices, 1850-1859

Prices in Foreign Countries, 1850-1859

Ask a Question