Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1860-1869

Wages in the United States, 1860-1869

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Farm labor - Wages

Farm wages in southern states - 1860, 1867, 1868
Shows monetary pay for outdoor labor on farms, and details the rations and clothing that were distributed along with monetary pay in 1860. States covered: VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, AR, TN.
Farm labor wages - 1866-1922
In one simple table, this source shows the national average for daily and monthly wages of hired farm labor, with board or without, at harvest or at other times. Data available for years 1866, 1869, 1875, 1879, 1882, 1885, 1888, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1898, 1899, 1902, and each year from 1910-1922.
Farm labor - Average wages by state, 1866-1909
Tables 11-13 on pages 29-31 show average wages with and without board. Table 17 shows average wages per day without board, and Table 18 shows the daily wages with board.
Section titled "Extras Received by Laborers" explains the prevalence and value of non-monetary benefits paid to farm laborers, such as the use of a house or dwelling and garden plot, firewood for heat, stable and pasture for the worker's horse or cow, laundry service, occasional use of a buggy or a team for hauling, and one meal per day, pp. 49-52. Starting on page 53, there is discussion of the purchasing power of farm wages over the years.
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 wages in Missouri, 1866-1930
Shows average farm labor wage in Missouri with and without board, during harvest time or at other times. Source: Missouri State Dept of Agriculture.
Farm wages in Maine, 1866-1885
Shows rates per day and per month, with and without board.

Manufacturing - Wages

Manufacturing wages, 1850s-1870s
Published in 1886 as part of the 10th U.S. Census. Also printed in Serial Set Vol. 2150.

Military pay (Union and Confederate)

Confederate Army wages
Chart published in the Confederate States Almanac (1862) shows the monthly pay of officers and privates in the regular service of Confederate states. Breaks out pay for generals, colonels, lieutenants, majors, sergeants, captains, corporals, artificers, musicians, chaplains and privates.
Union Army officer pay, 1861-1862
Army pay tables begin with the highest officers listed first. Page forward to find colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, etc.
Military pay - Civil War (Union)
Military pay tables are cited in an 1866 book titled War Claimant's Guide by George W. Raff (not a government document). See Army pay starting on page 180, Navy tables on page 197, and Marine Corps officer pay on page 203.
Military pay - New Mexico Infantry (Union), 1863
See pay for privates, musicians, wagoners, hospital stewards, corporals, sergeants, majors and other officers. Also tells the bounty for serving at least two years.
Prisoners of war wages
In June 1864, a military circular was issued on how much Confederate prisoners should be paid for labor, based on their occupational skill. Wages for Civil War POWs acting as carpenters, blacksmiths, masons and common laborers are each listed. More in History of prisoner of war utilization by the United States Army, 1776-1945.

Women’s wages

Nurse pay - Civil War service
Source: Our army nurses... the noble women who served in hospitals and on battlefields during our civil war (pub 1895).
- "The pay of those regularly mustered in the service was $12.00 per month..."
- "The pay of a hospital matron was $6.00 a month until 1863, when it was increased to $10.00 per month and remained so through the end of the war." See page 551 of this source.
- Another source tells about contract nurse pay: "Mrs. Starbird was paid $13.00 per month as were all contract nurses." Source
Women's wages for sewing clothing, 1860s
Tables show what women could earn sewing various types of garments in Philadelphia and New York City. Includes hours and estimated weekly earnings. For explanation and further detail, see Chapter 3, Clothing and the Sewing Trades (pages 115-174) in this source.

Education occupations - Wages

School teacher wages by state, 1864-1865
Provides average monthly salaries for male and female teachers in the states of MA, PA, CT, MI, OH, VT, ME, IA, WI, IN, NH, IL and CA for the years 1864 and 1865.
School teacher wages in major U.S. cities, ca. 1867
Includes salaries of school principals, "assistants," art teachers and music teachers, broken out by primary grades, grammar school and high school in cities such as Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, St. Louis, San Francisco, etc. Table is not dated but it is likely from around 1866-1867.
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.
Minnesota school teacher wages by county, 1862
Shows average wages for male and female teachers at common and high schools, German and English schools, "Colored" schools and private and select schools. Source: Minnesota Report of the Commissioner of Common Schools.
Missouri teacher salaries by county, 1860 and 1868
Report of the public schools of Missouri published in 1869 list average salaries for male and female teachers, shown in alphabetical order by county, beginning with Adair County, MO. Compare to county reports of teacher wages reported for 1860.
California school teacher wages - 1860s
Many of these tables include breakouts for male and female school teachers.

Political leaders' salaries

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.

WAGES in the UNITED STATES, 1860s - General Sources

Wages for four common occupations in 1860, by state
The 1860 Census showed average wages for farm hands, day laborers, carpenters and female domestic workers. This source also shows the number of people in each state/territory working in each occupation.
Unskilled occupations - Average wages, 1840-1891
Shows average yearly wage earnings for laborers, yard hands, watchmen, teamsters, quarrymen, coal-heavers, helpers, unskilled factory operatives, without any geographic breakouts. Source: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 13 (1905).
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
  For further time series data, see USDA data showing farm labor wages from 1866-1920.
- Manufacturing pottery in a kiln, 1860s
  Image source
  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
- Worker tends a cotton carding engine, 1860s
  Image source
  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
- Tobacco product manufacture, 1860-1900
  Wages for cigar makers, tobacco stemmers and strippers
- 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
Wages as shown in a Special Report on Immigration
Tables showing average weekly wages for factory, mechanical and farm labor... 1869-1870. Reported by states, including ME, NH, VT, CT, DE, MA, RI, NJ, MD, MI, MO, NE, IA, MN, IL, KY, PA, VA, WV, IN, OH, WI, IA, KS. Not all states are listed in every table. Try a search on state name or occupation in the full text. Some tables compare wages for occupations to that earned in England.
Monthly wages by occupation and sex, 1840-1891 (not averaged)
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."

Wages in Individual States, 1860-1869

WAGES in CALIFORNIA, 1860s

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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.

WAGES in MASSACHUSETTS, 1860s

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Massachusetts - Wages by occupation, 1860-1897
Shows average weekly wages for 1860, 1872, 1878, 1881 and 1897 for hundreds of detailed occupations. This is an extensive table, scroll forward to see it all. Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor 28th annual report.
Massachusetts wages in manufacturing industries, 1860
Compares wages in MA to that of Great Britain (abbreviated G.B. in the tables.)

WAGES in MINNESOTA, 1860s

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Logging industry wages in Minnesota, 1868 season
Shows average monthly wages paid to men who worked on rafts and for labor in the woods. Also shows the price of logs. Source: Statistics of Minnesota for 1869.

WAGES in NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1860s

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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.

WAGES in NEW YORK, 1860s

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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 in OHIO, 1860s

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Fire department wages in Cleveland Ohio, 1864-1865
Lists all individuals employed by the Steam Fire Department along with job titles and monthly salaries for each man. This source does not provide salary averages.

WAGES in AUSTRALIA, 1860s

Australia (Melbourne) wages in 1863 and 1868
Wages expressed in pounds, shillings and pence for agricultural laborers, shepherds, masons, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, grooms, gardeners, laundresses, maids, nursemaids, household servants, ocean seamen, and more. Source: 1873 edition of the Victorian year-book, an Australian government publication.

WAGES in BELGIUM, 1860s

Belgium wages by occupation, and farm wages in Bavaria, 1866
Farm wages for Bavaria appears on page 8. Wages by occupation in Belgium (in francs) are shown on page 9. Occupations include watchmakers, roofers, pastry cooks, locksmiths, hatters, glove makers, women lacemakers, pavers, engineers, lampmakers, house painters, stonemasons, cigar makers and many more. Exchange rates from francs to dollars are provided.

WAGES in FRANCE, 1860s

Agricultural Wages in France, 1788-1862
Reviews the changes in wages for farm labor in France, giving earnings for various years from 1788 to 1862.

WAGES in GREAT BRITAIN, 1860s

Great Britain or England - Wages by occupation, late 1860s
Many tables in this extensive section include a column showing average wages for various occupations in Great Britain or England, usually for the years 1866, 1867 or 1868.
Great Britain - Wages compared to Massachusetts, 1860-1883
Mostly covers manufacturing industries. Wages reported in dollars. Each table spans two pages in the book. Scroll forward to see additional breakouts for industries but note that each table spans two pages in the book. Provides data for the years 1860, 1872, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1883.
England, Scotland and Ireland - Wages and earnings, ca. 1867
The book Wages and Earnings of the Working Classes (published in London, 1867) discusses earnings by occupation, wages and hours of labor, as well as prices of food, rent, tools, etc. and typical expenses for working class men and women, boys and girls in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Average wages overall are noted in the introduction. Note that shillings and pence may be written with a slash, so that 6 / 8 would indicate 6 shillings, 8 pence.
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.

WAGES in IRELAND, 1860s

England, Scotland and Ireland - Wages and earnings, ca. 1867
The book Wages and Earnings of the Working Classes (published in London, 1867) discusses earnings by occupation, wages and hours of labor, as well as prices of food, rent, tools, etc. and typical expenses for working class men and women, boys and girls in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Average wages overall are noted in the introduction. Note that shillings and pence may be written with a slash, so that 6 / 8 would indicate 6 shillings, 8 pence.
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.

WAGES in SCOTLAND, 1860s

Scotland - Carpenter and joiner wages, 1869
Wages listed by town. Source: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society.
England, Scotland and Ireland - Wages and earnings, ca. 1867
The book Wages and Earnings of the Working Classes (published in London, 1867) discusses earnings by occupation, wages and hours of labor, as well as prices of food, rent, tools, etc. and typical expenses for working class men and women, boys and girls in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Average wages overall are noted in the introduction. Note that shillings and pence may be written with a slash, so that 6 / 8 would indicate 6 shillings, 8 pence.
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.

WAGES in SPAIN, 1860s

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.

WAGES in SWEDEN, 1860s

Sweden - Farming wages for male and female workers, 1866-1900
Shows average yearly salaries (besides room and board) for servants, the value of tenement laborers entire pay (including wages and provisions), summer and winter wages per day, and the wages earned in 300 days in Sweden for the years 1866-1900. Figures shown are in Kronor, but conversion rates for shillings and dollars are included. Source: Sweden: its people and its industry; historical and statistical handbook published by order of the government, Stockholm, 1904.