Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1890-1899

Wages in the United States, 1890-1899

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Farm Labor - Wages

Farm labor wages, 1890-1899
In one simple table, see the national average for daily and monthly wages of hired farm labor, with board or without, at harvest or at other seasons for years 1890, 1892, 1893-1895, 1898, 1899. This is part of a larger table showing wage data from 1866-1922.
Farm laborer monthly earnings, 1890
Lists average monthly earnings with board, by geographic divisions for 1890 and other selected years between 1818-1948. See the explanation for this table here.
Farm labor - Average wages by state, 1866-1909
Tables 11-15 on pages 29-33 show average wages with and without board.

Building Trades - Wages

Building trade wages by year and state, 1840-1900
Lists 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. Scroll forward in the source to see additional occupations. Source: History of Wages in the United States from Colonial times to 1928.
Building trades - Wages and hours in the U.S. and Europe, 1890-1903
Compares wages for blacksmiths, boiler makers, bricklayers, carpenters, compositors, hod carriers, iron molders, general laborers, machinists, house painters, plumbers, stone cutters, and stone masons in U.S., Great Britain, Germany, France and Belgium. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 53, published July 1904.
Wages for city employees, by occupation and city - 1890s
Wages for all the typical building trades are represented (carpenter, stone mason, bricklayer, electrical inspectors) as well as other jobs working for city governments. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 7, published November 1896.
Building trade wage microdata (not averaged),1890-1891
Reports monthly wages paid to individual, unnamed male and female employees in a variety of jobs at selected establishments in the states of MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA and RI. Occupations include carpenter, carpenter's helper, hod carrier, mason, mason's helper, painter, bricklayer, bricklayer's helper, steam and gas fitter, plumber, tinsmith, machine hand, teamster, roofer, plasterer, watchmen, foreman, apprentice and engineer.

Manufacturing - Wages

Manufacturing industries - Wages and hours, 1890-1907
Bulletin of the U. S. Bureau of Labor, No. 77, Volume XVII. Published July 1908.
Wages in cotton, woolen, and silk industries, 1890-1912
These workers engaged in spinning, weaving, printing, dyeing and otherwise performing tasks for the manufacture of fabrics. Shows hourly wages and typical hours per week.
Wages in lumber, millwork, and furniture industries, 1890 to 1912
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 129.
Wages in automobile manufacturing, 1899-1955
Shows average weekly earnings. Although this is not a government source, it cites government data.

Railroad - Wages

Railway employee wages, 1896-1907
For each year from 1896-1907, this source lists average daily compensation in dollars for station agents, conductors, telegraph operators, enginemen, firemen, track men, switch tenders, crossing tenders, machinists, carpenters and more.
Railroad cars, building and repair - 1890 to 1912
Shows wages per hour and hours of work per week for the years 1907 to 1912, with breakouts by state. Includes a comparison from 1890 to 1912. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 137

Congressional and Governor 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.
State and territorial governor salaries, 1890
As reported in the World Almanac. See other editions for other years, for example this table shows governor salaries for 1899.

Wages - African Americans

Wages for African-Americans by occupation, 1896
This source lists the occupation and average weekly earnings for several thousand sampled individuals mostly from Atlanta, Nashville and Cambridge, Massachusetts but also from some other cities. Note that this source lists the earnings of each individual and does not provide occupational averages. Some occupations include clergyman, teacher, seamstress, washerwoman, barber, shoemaker, tinsmith, nurse, well digger, coachman, waiter, railroad porter and more. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor Bulletin #10, Condition of the Negro in Various Cities.
African-Americans - Wages by occupation, 1890-1920
The book The Negro Wage Earner is not a government document but it cites government wage data. Use the table of contents to find the chapter on the type of job, then use the "Jump to..." box to quickly land on that page in the volume.

WAGES by OCCUPATION

History of Wages in the U.S. 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. Click "MORE..." for occupational/industry breakouts:

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- Bakers, 1880-1900
- 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.
- 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
- 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
Rates of wages in various occupations by city and state, 1890-1900
Wages for occupations in specific American cities, mostly in the states of MA, GA, PA, NY, NC, SC, IL, OH, NJ. Shows wage high, low and average. Table spans pages 766-812 in this source.
Daily wages by city in the United States and Europe, 1870-1898
Lists daily wages in dollars for many occupations including blacksmiths, bricklayers, cabinet makers, carpenters, railroad conductors, railroad engineers, street laborers, machinists, house painters, stone masons, teamsters, plumbers, and more, in the U.S. cities of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Richmond, St. Louis, St. Paul and San Francisco. The last column provides an average across all of these cities. Wage data tables for cities in Great Britain, France and Belgium begin on page 683. Source: Bulletin of the United States Department of Labor, no. 18, published September 1898.
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 - Index of all reports issued by bureaus of labor statistics, 1870-1900
This is an index to topics covered in all labor statistics bureaus, both state and federal and even some foreign countries. There are ten pages of entries under "Wages" listing wages shown in state and federal reports. Find report abbreviations spelled out here. The strategy for using this source is to identify a report you want to track down and then look for it in Hathi Trust's online digital library. Contact us if you would like assistance with this.

Wages reported at the U.S. state level, 1890-1899

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WAGES REPORTED BY STATE GOVERNMENTS, 1890s

Click state tabs above. Don't see what you need? Contact us! We can find state-level occupational wage data for nearly all U.S. states as of the 1890s, and will add additional tabs to this box by request.

WAGES in COLORADO, 1890s

Colorado wages by occupation - late 1890s
The 7th Biennial Report of Colorado's Bureau of Labor Statistics shows average weekly wages for a number of occupations, including...
Barbers
Blacksmiths, Bookkeepers
Bricklayers, Cooks
Clerks and Salesmen
Coal Miners
Cigar makers, Carpenters
Drug clerks and Pharmacists
Engineers, stationary and locomotive
Farmers, Roofers, Cement workers, and Laborers
Lawyers, Metalliferous miners
Machinists
Printers, Painters and Paper Hangers
Physicians, Pumpmen in mines
Plumbers, Railroad Conductors
Railroad firemen
Stenographers, Typewriters and Smeltermen
Stone Cutters and Stone Masons
School teachers and Telegraph Operators
Waiters
Womens wages by occupation in Colorado, 1891-1892
See table at bottom of page, "Schedule of wages in leading occupations of female wage-earners in Colorado." Occupations include milliners, dressmakers, chambermaids, domestics, factory girls, sales women, confectionery workers, etc. Taken from Colorado State Bureau of Labor Statistics volume 3 (1891-1892)

WAGES in CONNECTICUT, 1890s

City government employees - Salaries in New Haven, CT from 1873-1921
This series of Municipal Year Books from New Haven, Connecticut, show salaries for police, firemen, school teachers, principals, building inspectors, clerks and other jobs working for city government.

WAGES in IOWA, 1890s

Iowa - Earnings by occupation, 1894
Tables show annual earnings of Iowans working in various occupations, with breakouts by sex. Note that by paging backward from any of these tables, one can find additional detail such as average hours worked per day and average number of weeks worked per year. Jump directly to counties:
- Clinton County
- Des Moines County
- Dubuque County
- Harrison County
- Lee County
- Linn County
- Marshall County
- Muscatine County
- Polk County -- note, this table extends to page 153
- Scott County
- Webster County
- Woodbury County

WAGES in ILLINOIS, 1890s

Illinois wages, 1850s-1900s
Bibliography of Illinois state government publications tell which reports show wages for various occupations: farm labor, mill workers, factory workers, teachers, miners, railroad workers, and more. Contact us if you need assistance tracking down any of the listings in the bibliography, concannonm@missouri.edu.

WAGES in INDIANA, 1890s

Funeral directors and undertakers' earnings - Indiana, 1899
The typical cost of a funeral in 1899 seems to have ranged from $60-80, and this presentation reviewed how much a funeral director might earn in a year, compared to his business expenses. Source: Paper read before the Indiana Funeral Directors Association in 1899.

WAGES in MASSACHUSETTS, 1890s

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.

WAGES in MINNESOTA, 1890s

Minnesota - Jailer's salaries at county jails
The biennial reports of the Minnesota State Board of Corrections and Charities include salaries of jailers by county for 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1896, and 1897.

WAGES in MISSOURI, 1890s

Wages in Missouri by sex and nationality, 1898
Report shows average wages in Missouri for a number of typical occupations in the building trades, manufacturing, baking, barbershop work, brewing, etc., and also provides cost of living data. Scroll forward in the source to see extensive tables and further occupations such as jobs with railroads. Source: Missouri Bureau of Labor Statistics biennial report, 1899.
Wages in St. Louis factories by industry, 1893
Report contains a brief summary of each industry along with a table showing average wages by trade. Starts with agricultural implements on page 53 and ends with willow-ware and basket-workers on page 108. Title page link provides full list of industries included. Source: Missouri Bureau of Labor Statistics and Inspection annual report, 1893.
Wages of employees of street railways, 1893
This report has tables showing 1893 wages of workers on street railways including conductors, gripmen, blacksmiths, cable tenders, engineers, and many more. Scroll forward to see more occupations, or see full list in the table of contents. Source: Missouri Bureau of Labor Statistics and Inspection annual report, 1893.
Actual earings of coal miners and other employes at coal mines, 1893
This report contains tables of the actual earnings of 1139 miners taken from the pay-rolls of different operators. Scroll forward through the report remarks to view tables by county or see the table of contents for a list of all counties represented. Source: Missouri Bureau of Labor Statistics and Inspection annual report, 1893.

WAGES in NEW YORK, 1890s

Workers on boats on Lake Champlain (NY and VT) - 1890
This lake is in the New York/Vermont area. Lists wages for captains, seamen, first mates, second mates, engineers, chambermaids, deck hands, lookouts, watchmen, wheelmen, cooks, firemen, stewards, and boy helpers.

WAGES in OHIO, 1890s

Monthly amounts paid to officers, matrons, teachers and other employees of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home
For the years 1893, 1896, and 1900. These were not averages but lists of individuals along with how much each made.

WAGES in VERMONT, 1890s

Workers on boats on Lake Champlain (NY and VT) - 1890
This lake is in the New York/Vermont area. Lists wages for captains, seamen, first mates, second mates, engineers, chambermaids, deck hands, lookouts, watchmen, wheelmen, cooks, firemen, stewards, and boy helpers.

WAGES in WASHINGTON, 1890s

Ship workers in Washington state - 1897-1898
The 1st Biennial Report of Washington state's Bureau of Labor shows wages for many occupations based on ships, including deck hands, mates, boatswains, watchmen, engineers, coal passers, stewards, cooks and "flunkies."

WAGES in WISCONSIN, 1890s

Wisconsin - Wages by occupation, 1895-1896
Wisconsin's 7th Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics included a lengthy section showing wages earned by people in a variety of occupations. These were not averages but lists of individuals along with how much each made as well as each individual's housing, fuel and clothing/dry goods expenses.

Sources showing wages in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1890s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

European countries - Average daily wages in Britain, France and Belgium - 1870-1898
Very simple table compares average wages in the US, Great Britain, Paris France and Liege Belgium for each year from 1870-1898.
European countries - Wages compared to the U.S., 1890-1903
Covers the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, France and Belgium for each year from 1890-1903. Occupations include iron molders, general laborers, machinists, blacksmiths, boiler makers, bricklayers, carpenters, compositors, hod carriers, painters, plumbers, stone cutters, and stone masons. These tables are also available in the FRASER digital library.
Wages in Continental Europe, 1890s
This entry (pages 723-729) from volume 9 of the new volumes of the Encyclopædia britannica (1902) includes average wage data for France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Holland, Russia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Wages in CANADA, 1890s

Canada (Montreal) - Wages
Also shows incomes and rent. Source: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 14, Volume III, by Herbert Brown Ames. Published January 1898.
Canada (Ottawa) - Wages, 1897 and 1907
Shows wages and hours for dozens of occupations, including job titles in the agriculture, building and timber industries; as well as bartenders, restaurant workers, domestic servants, policemen, bookbinders, and more. Source: U.S. Consular report titled Cost of Living in Canada.

Wages in FRANCE, 1890s

France (Lyons) - Wages, 1870 to 1896
Lists wages for occupations such as blacksmiths, bricklayers, cabinet makers, carpenters, street laborers, machinists, house painters, stone cutters, teamsters, and more. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 22, published May 1899.

Wages in GERMANY, 1890s

Germany - Wage trends, 1898 to 1907
Shows wages for miners in coal, copper and iron mines, stone masons, carpenters, painters, plumbers, gas fitters, steam fitters, stone cutters, metal workers, printers, railway employees (including mechanics, engineers, conductors, section hands, office workers, etc.), and workers on ships in the Baltic and North seas. This extensive article spans pages 793-812 in the Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, #88, published May 1910.
Agricultural and coal mining wages in Bavaria, 1890
Shows wages for men and for women. Source: Bavarian Palatinate, published in London, 1920.

Wages in NORWAY, 1890s

Norway, annual earnings by sex, 1894
Norway discussion is on pages 1082-1085. Tables show categories of earnings levels, and indicate how many men and how many women had income in those categories.

Wages in SWEDEN, 1890s

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.

Wages in the UNITED KINGDOM, 1890s

United Kingdom - Wages by occupation, 1893-1913
Wages reported in UK government documents.
United Kingdom - Agricultural wages and earnings, 1890s
Describes and discusses wages by type of work and by place within England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. There is an excellent appendix showing additional wage charts with some wages reported back to the 1850s. Gives some indication of rent and other costs, as well. This is a UK government publication: Earnings of agricultural labourers... Report ...on the wages and earnings of agricultural labourers in the United Kingdom, with statistical tables and charts.
England - Cotton mill job wages, 1892
Weekly wages paid to spinners, weavers, bookkeepers, mechanics, clerks, and more. Wages are shown in dollars. Printed in a fact book published by an American manufacturer of textile machinery.
Female domestic servants' money wages in the U.K., 1894-1898
British report lists annual wages in pounds and shillings for domestic servants in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with breakouts by age and class of servant. Job classes are listed in wage tables starting on page 32, including: cooks, housemaids, parlour maids, nurses, nurse housemaids, lady's maids, kitchen maids, scullery maids, between maids, laundry maids, stillroom maids, cook-housekeepers, housekeepers, and general servants. This report also discusses non-monetary compensation as well such as housing and meals for these live-in house servants.
Women's occupational wages in Great Britain, 1898
In this fascinating little book titled A dictionary of employments open to women, with details of wages, hours of work, and other information, one finds wages and working conditions for both the common and the more unusual occupations for women such as accountant, actress, agent/broker, agricultural laborer, apartment manager, appraiser, auctioneer, architect, art dealer, artificial eye maker (!) and much more.

Wages, 1890s - 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