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Prices and Wages by Decade: 1850-1859

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, 1850-1859

Wages by occupation and industry, 1850-1859

Lady at sewing machine, 1859Home sewing machines cost $50-$125 and created a pay crisis.
  • Knitters - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 396
  • Laborers - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 254
  • Machinists - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 298
  • 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. Tables span pages 180-183 in this source.
  • Marble cutters - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 187
  • Masons - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 189
  • Military pay
    • 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, pages 569-575.
    • 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.
  • Millwrights - BLS Bulletin no. 499, pg. 308

Wages by state, 1850-1859

  • Book and newspaper publishers
    Shows monthly wages at particular Connecticut establishments but does not provide wage averages. Source: "Rates of wages for 52 years" in Aldrich report Part 2, published by Congress in 1893.
  • City public works
    Shows monthly wages at particular Pennsylvania establishments, but does not provide wage averages. Source: "Rates of wages for 52 years" in Aldrich report Part 2, published by Congress in 1893.

Foreign wages by country, A to Z (1850-1859)

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

  • Belgium - Wages by industry, 1854
    • This table shows the average daily wages throughout Belgium of men, women, and children in 15 different industries as well as a general average across all observations. Source: Labor in Europe and America, pg. 646
  • Brazil

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

  • Canada - See also "N" tab (above) for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and "P" tab for Prince Edward Island
  • Canada - Wages and prices, 1853
    • Shows wages for about 40 occupations in shillings and pence. Page forward to see data for additional months of the year.  Source: Emigration: papers relative to emigration to the North American colonies (published 1854).
  • Chile--Talcahuano*
  • Costa Rica*
  • Cuba--Matanzas*

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

  • Mexico
    • Acapulco*
    • Tampico*
      • Blacksmiths earned from $3 to $3.50 per day
      • Common laborers earned 62 and a half cents per day
      • Carpenters
        • 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 workers earned $2.50 per day
        • Mexican workers earned $1.50 per day
      • Servants earned $4 to $10 per month
      • Country hands earned $6 per month along with one ration of corn per day at the rate of 9 cents
  • Morocco*
  • Netherlands--Rotterdam*
  • New Zealand
  • Newfoundland--St. John's*
  • Nova Scotia--Halifax*

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

*Source: Report on the commercial relations of the United States with all foreign nations, vol. 3 (1857). In 1854, surveys were sent to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see survey questions).  Wages were reported in answer to question #7 of the Second Series.

Foreign wages by occupation (A-Z), then country, 1850-1859

Average daily wages by sex and occupation.  Source: A Compilation of Wages in Commercial Countries from Official Sources, Volume I and Volume II. Issued as the U.S. Commissioner of Labor 15th ann. rpt. (1900).

Food prices by state, 1850-1859

Click a tab ABOVE to see food prices in other states

Home & land prices in the United States - 1850s

Clothing prices in the United States - 1850s


  • Massachusetts
    • Prices for pantaloons, vests, gloves, mittens, hats, and more.
  • Washington DC
    • Prices for ready-made men's coats, pants, vests, suits, etc. in 1855.
  • Ohio, 1852
    • Wholesale values of clothing lost in a steamboat fire, and reported for insurance. Source: Cincinnati Gazette report, p. 73.
  • Kansas, 1856
    • This is a 700-page volume. Use the "search in this text" box to locate prices of particular garments such as suits, pants, suspenders, boots, etc. or fabrics such as calico, gingham, linen, etc.  Source: Congressional serial set #1017.
    Clothing prices paid by federal government., 1840-1891
    • Prices paid by War Dept. for shirts, jackets, coats, trousers, boots, shoes, hats, mittens, underwear and more. Also shows clothing prices paid by U.S. Navy in Boston and NYC. Source: Serial Set #3074 pt. 4, pp. 1596-1599.

 

 

  • Sewing machine prices, 1859
    Machines for home use were priced from $50 to $125 in 1859. Source: newspaper.
  • Fabric prices by city, 1850s-1870s
    Includes prices for shirtings, cotton flannel, ticking, prints, and more. See pp. 3-22.
  • Cloth and dress good prices - Massachusetts, 1880s.
    Prices for wool, calico, gingham, silk, cashmere etc. by the yard.  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 needles, pins and thread.
  • Dry good prices - NJ, 1858-1878
    This table shows the average retail price for families of dry goods including denim, flannel, cotton, and more in New Jersey. Source: 1st Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor and Industries of New Jersey, pg. 278

More prices in the United States, 1850-1859

TRANSPORTATION PRICES, 1850s

PRICES for COMMUNICATION, 1850s

PRICES for HEALTH and MEDICINE, 1850s

PRICES for HAIRCUT & SHAVES, 1850s

  • 1854 
    • Virginia -- Haircut price 12½¢, shaves 10¢ (source)
    • Indiana -- Haircut price 15¢, shaves 10¢ (source)
    • Ohio -- Haircut price 15¢, shaves 5-10¢ (source)
  • 1855
    • New York City -- Shave price 6¢ (source)
    • New York City -- Shave price 6¢ (another source)
    • Virginia -- Children's haircuts, 12½¢ for boys and 18¾¢ for girls (source)
  • 1858
    • Indiana, Crawfordsville -- Hairdressing 15¢, shaves 10¢, raised from 5¢  (source)
  • 1859
    • Iowa -- Haircut price 10¢, shaves 5¢ (source)
    • Iowa -- Haircut price 10¢, shaves 5¢ (another source)

COST of ATTENDING COLLEGE, 1850s

MISCELLANEOUS PRICES, 1850s

Foreign prices by country, 1850-1859

Prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1850s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

Prices in BELGIUM, 1850s

Prices in CANADA, 1850s

Prices in GREAT BRITAIN, 1850s

TRANSPORTATION

Prices in HAWAII, 1850s

Prices in IRELAND, 1850s

Prices in ITALY, 1850s

Prices in MOROCCO, 1850s

Prices in NEW ZEALAND, 1850s

Prices in SPAIN, 1850s

Prices in SWEDEN, 1850s

Prices in TURKEY, 1850s

Analysis and calculators, 1850s

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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