Prices and Wages by Decade: 1900-1909

• Teacher pay by race and sex - Alabama counties, 1905-1906
  Source: Alabama Department of Education biennial report, Table 7A.

• Proposed living wage - New Orleans, 1900
  "We think that 25 cents per hour, eight hours per day would enable us to live." 
  This quote (published in 1900) was given to the state legislature by the "colored people of the city of New Orleans" in response to a request for their labor-related demands.  Source: Louisiana Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 1st annual report, pp. 193-194.

• Columbia MO - Negro wages by occupation, 1904
  Tables show wages for males and females by occupation. Source: The Negroes of Columbia, Missouri, an MU thesis dated 1904.

• New Jersey - Negro wages by occupation, 1902
  Negro wages were published in the 26th annual report by the NJ Bureau of Statistics of Labor and Industries, pp. 185-187.

• South Carolina - Wages by race, 1901-1909
  Shows the average annual salary of both white and black teachers in 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1908, and 1909 throughout the state. Source: Annual report of the State Superintendent of Education of the State of South Carolina

• Memphis TN - Negro artisan wages, 1902
  Shows daily wages for workers in building trades, for seamstresses, milliners and more. Compares to wages earned by whites. Source: Social conditions: a study in Memphis.

• Virginia - Negro wages in the building trades, 1901
  Source: The Negro wage earner by Lorenzo J. Greene (c1930). p. 194.

Source for data below: Employees and Wages, a special report in the 12th Census.

• Bakeries - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900 
• Breweries - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  

Unless otherwise noted, the sources for data below came from Employees and Wages, a special report in the 12th Census, and Report on condition of woman and child wage-earners in the U.S, Dept. of Labor.

Rolling cigars at home in 1908. Most earned less than $8/ week.

• Candy makers - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
• Carpet mills - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
• Cigar makers - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
  • See also working conditions
• Clothing manufacture - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
  • See also working conditions 
• Cotton mills - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
  • See also working conditions
  • See also family budgets of typical cotton-mill workers
• Foundries and metal working - Wages for females, 1890 and 1900  
  • See also working conditions in the metal trades

Unless otherwise noted, the sources for data below came from Employees and Wages, a special report in the 12th Census, and Report on condition of woman and child wage-earners in the U.S, Dept. of Labor. 

• Glass industry - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  
  • See also working conditions 
• Knitting mills - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  
• Laundry occupations
• Nurses, visiting - Salaries by state, 1909
  Includes a directory of organizations that employ visiting nurses, along with salaries paid to them. Use the table of contents to find a state. Source: Visiting nursing in the United States... by Y. Waters, (1909).
• Paper mills - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  
• Potteries and brickyards - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  
• Printing - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  

Unless otherwise noted, the sources for data below came from Employees and Wages, a special report in the 12th Census, and Report on condition of woman and child wage-earners in the U.S, Dept. of Labor.

• Rubber industry - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  
• Silk industry - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900  
• Shoe factories - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  
• Tobacco (pickers, rollers, stemmers, etc.) - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  
• Textiles, dyeing and finishing - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  
• Textile manufacturing - Weekly wages by sex in 1902
• Woollen mills - Wages for females in 1890 and 1900​​​​​​​  
• Nurse salaries by state, 1909
  • Directory of organizations that provided visiting nurses, along with salaries paid. Source: Visiting nursing in the U.S.
• Teacher wages by state and sex, 1894-1902 
  • Source: U.S. Commissioner of Education report for 1902, p. LXXXI. 

• Building and construction wages, 1890-1903
  Compares wage rates in the U.S. and Europe for specific occupations, including bricklayers, carpenters, hod carriers, general laborers, house painters, plumbers, stone cutters, stone masons and more. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin #53, pp. 724-728.
• Building and construction wages by occupation and city, 1902-1910
  Shows wage rates for bricklayers, stone masons, structural-iron setters, ornamental-iron setters, plasterers, tile setters, plumbers, steam fitters, gas fitters, carpenters, painters, stonecutters, electricians, sheet-metal workers, marble setters and cement finishers in each of 25 major American cities. Source: Congressional report, pp. 60-67.

• Factory wages -- SEE Manufacturing wages box below.
• Farm labor wages, 1866-1909
  Browse this book's table of contents for wage rates for all states and the US as a whole, including some rates from prior to 1866.
• Fishermen might be paid partly by a share of the catch
  Farm laborers, 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 hands and ranch hands - Wages, 1900-1910
  Members of the agricultural industry from select states report average wages (with and without board) per month at their farms, ranches, or dairies for the years 1900-1910.
• Fishermen's wages, 1908
  Some fishermen received $25/month plus board valued at $10 per month.  Others were paid by the weight of the catch. See explanation in Fisheries of the United States, 1908.

• Government - Congressional salaries, 1789-present
  Shows congressional salaries, along with statutory authority for each pay increase.
• Iron and steel industry workers, 1907-1924
  Shows earnings per hour, customary hours of labor, and actual hours and earnings in one pay period in 1924. Summary figures for preceding years are also provided.
• Iron and steel industry -- Wages and hours, 1912
  Wages and hours of labor for workers in the steel industry by location and occupation. Source: U. S. Congressional Serial Set  no. 6096.
• Lumber, millwork, and furniture industries, 1907-1912
  Wages and hours of labor in lumber manufacturing for the years 1907 to 1912, including information from 1890 to 1912. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 129.
• Manufacturing wages -- SEE box below.
• Marshals, U.S. -- Salaries in Great Plains states, 1907
• Military pay for enlisted men
  Includes unusual military occupations such as electrician, band leader, sergeant major, etc. Source: Congressional hearing: Soldiers' adjusted compensation, pp. 775-782.

See manufacturing wages in the box below.

• Nurses, visiting - Salaries by state, 1909
  Includes a directory of organizations that employ visiting nurses, along with salaries paid. Use the table of contents to find a state. Source: Visiting nursing in the United States... by Y. Waters, (1909).
• Railway employee wages, 1896-1907
  Lists average daily compensation for station agents, conductors, telegraph operators, enginemen, firemen, track men, switch tenders, crossing tenders, machinists, carpenters and more; as shown in the 1908 Statistical Abstract (source). For further detail on RR wages around the year 1900, see this additional congressional report.
• Railroad wages by occupation, 1892-1902
  Shows the daily wages for 18 different railroad occupations in contemporary US dollars.
• 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

• Street railways - Employee wages by town, 1905
  Shows hours, wages and policies for sick leave. Source: 1905 Yearbook of the Amalgamated Assoc. of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, pp. 7-23.
• Teacher wages by state and sex, 1894-1902
  Taken from the U.S. Commissioner of Education Report for 1902. Shows average monthly wages of teachers in 1902 starting on page LXXXI.
• Teaching wages by race - South Carolina, 1901-1909
  Shows the average annual salary of both white and black teachers in 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1908, and 1909 throughout the state. Source: Annual report of the State Superintendent of Education of the State of South Carolina.

Wages in AUSTRALIA, 1900s

Wages in AUSTRIA, 1900s

Wages in BELGIUM, 1900s

Wages in BULGARIA, 1900s

WAGES on CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, 1900s

Wages in CANADA, 1900s

Wages in ENGLAND, 1900s

Wages in FINLAND, 1900s

WAGES in FRANCE, 1900s

Wages in GERMANY, 1900s

Wages in IRELAND, 1900s

WAGES in ITALY, 1900s

Wages in JAPAN, 1900s

WAGES in MEXICO, 1900s

WAGES in NEW ZEALAND, 1900s

WAGES in NORWAY, 1900s

WAGES in the PHILIPPINES, 1900s

WAGES in POLAND, 1900s

Wages in RUSSIA, 1900s

Wages in SCOTLAND, 1900s

Wages in SPAIN, 1900s

WAGES in the UNITED KINGDOM, 1900s

• Retail food prices by city, 1890-1903

  This table (pages 664-845) has prices listed by state and city for each year from 1890-1903. Dried apples, beans, bread, butter, cheese, coffee, corn meal, eggs, flour, lard, fresh milk, molasses, potatoes, prunes, rice, sugar, tea, vinegar. Meats: beef, steaks, veal, chicken, mutton and lamb, pork, bacon, ham, fresh fish, salt fish.

• Grocer with food scale
  Retail food prices by city
  Scroll forward; each of the tables below extends for many pages.
  • 1904-1905 -- Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin, No. 65, vol. 13.
  • 1906-1907 -- Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin, no. 77, volume 17.
     

• Beef prices in 50 U.S. cities, 1909
  Shows prices of various cuts of beef in 50 U.S. cities and towns. Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities, Vol. 3, pp. 1984-1993.

• Boston - Food prices, 1900
  Shows the average retail prices of common food items including meats, dairy, and vegetables at the Boston Market. Prices are available for January-February, February-April, May-July and August-October of 1900. Source: Massachusetts Labor Bulletin, no. 13-16

• Average retail prices - Massachusetts, 1871-1902
  Shows average price of food, fuel, dry goods, and rent. The report also contains information on purchasing power, expenditures and budgets, and more in Mass. state govt. report (source), pp. 241-243.

• Food prices in Hawaii, 1890-1910
  Lists prices of food, average wages of Hawaiians, and consumer expenditures. Source: Hawaii Labor Commissioner 4th report, pp. 135-139.

• Groceries from Macy's Catalog, 1908 

  Variety of baking goods, coffee, canned goods, rum, gin, whiskey, brandy, wine and ale and beers. pp. 384-393.

• Bathroom and kitchen fixture prices, 1905 
  Commercial catalog shows prices for bathroom sinks (lavatories), tubs, toilets, kitchen sinks and other fixtures, cast iron radiators and more. Source: Nelson blue book on sanitary plumbing appliances.
• Lumber price by type of wood, 1899-1935 

  Shows average annual mill value per 1,000 board feet for 17 kinds of hardwood including oak, elm, hickory, etc. and 14 kinds of softwood including redwood, pine and more. Source: 1937 Statistical Abstract, table #688.

• Building material prices - Hawaii, 1898-1910 
  Red brick from California, window glass, nails and lumber prices.  Source: Hawaii Commissioner of Labor, 4th ann. report, p. 141.

• Farm real estate - Average value by state and county, 1900

  Shows average value for farm land and buildings from 1850-1982. See values for AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY. See data considerations for explanation. Source: USDA report.

• 6-room Illinois 
  farmhouse with city water and electricity, worth $1500 ca. 1903
  Farm real estate - Value per acre, 1850-1930 

  Average dollar value per acre for farm land (along with any buildings on the land), broken out by U.S. region. Source: 1930 Census of Agriculture.

• Price of land
  • Oklahoma, 1902 

    Shows price of farm land by county, by the acre. Source: U.S. Dept of the Interior.

  • Missouri, 1903 

    Shows price of land in chapters on each county, arranged alphabetically.

  • New York state, 1906 

    Does not list averages, instead lists farms and farmhouses for sale (or rent) along with amenities and asking price.

• Household utilities (gas) prices - 1885 to 1907 

  Shows prices by city for gas light and gas heat in households.

• Kerosene and coal prices - Hawaii, 1890-1910
  Source: Hawaii Commissioner of Labor, 4th annual report (1911), p. 140.

GASOLINE PRICES

• Gasoline price, 1900
  Gasoline storage tank for private homes, 1901 (Source)
  
  In congressional testimony dated 1900, one gas engine owner reported that he expected to pay 7 or 9 cents a gallon for gasoline, but within a short time, the price had doubled. A corroborating advertisement in the July 19, 1899 issue of Horseless Age stated that gasoline "is available in almost any town at 7 cents a gallon" (see tenth point in this ad). Side note: in early years, gasoline was typically purchased from paint shops or drug stores.
• Gasoline retail price, 1902
  Article "The Rising price of gasoline" cites the retail price of gasoline as 18¢ to 20¢ per gallon. Source: The Horseless Age, Aug 13, 1902, p. 158.
• Gasoline retail price, April 1906
  In late April 1906, the price of gasoline for automobiles ranged from 16¢ to 21¢ per gallon. Source: Horseless Age, April 25, 1906, p. 611. col. 3.
• Gasoline retail price, 1907
  Article suggests that gasoline could be purchased for 20¢ a gallon. Source: Scientific American, Feb 9, 1907, p. 127, c. 3.
• Gasoline - Mileage per gallon
  The distance one could travel on a gallon of gasoline depended on the weight of the automobile, the condition of roads, the design of the vehicle itself and other factors. To find mentions of MPG in the historic literature, search for the phrase "miles to the gallon" in HathiTrust's full text search, limiting to the date range desired.  You may also ask us for assistance.

MOTOR TRUCKS and COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PRICES

4-ton Mack truck priced at $4250 in 1907

• Commercial vehicle list prices, 1905-1916 Tells whether each vehicle was powered by gasoline, steam or electricity. This source was produced for the automotive insurance industry.
• Motor business wagon and commercial truck prices, 1907 Illustrated directory published by MoToR, the national monthly magazine of motoring, in 1907.
• Gasoline motor business wagons
  • costing $1500 or less
  • costing $1550-2499
  • costing $2500-3999
  • costing $4000 or more
• Electric motor business wagons
  • costing less than $3000 
  • costing $3000 or more
• Steam business wagons
  • all price points

RAILWAY FARES

• Railway passenger fare, 1894-1918
  Railway guide shows mileage between cities
  
  Ticket prices were calculated by the mile, and from 1894 to 1914 they remained fairly constant at 2 cents per mile. See railroad passenger fare overview from 1890s-early 1930s in the section titled "Carrier Price," in the U.S. document "Passenger Traffic Report" on pages 38-39.
• Passenger train fare in the U.S., 1871-1933
  Average railroad passenger fare (ticket price) expressed in cents per mile.
• Passenger fares from San Francisco to other U.S. cities, 1909
  1st and 2nd class fares on pp. 50-51 of this source.
• Passenger fare in Illinois, ca. 1900-1916
  Railroad passenger fares in Illinois (and some surrounding states) had generally been 3¢ per mile up until 1907, when they dropped to 2¢ and then rose to 2.5 ¢ in 1914. Source: IL State Public Utilities Commission 1916 report, p. 192.
• Selected passenger fares to Chicago, 1905
  • from Dayton OH - $7.75  (p. 273)
  • from Syracuse NY - $17.00 for 1st class (p. 389)
  • from Watertown MA - $18.18 for 1st class (p. 389)

STEAMSHIP FARES

A steamer trunk cost around $3 to $6
in 1908.

• Steamship fares to and from New York, 1909
  Shows lowest rates advertised between New York City, England and Europe. Breakouts for 1st, 2nd and 3rd class travel. More detail on amenities of 2nd class and steerage travel are also available in this source, The Scientific American Handbook of Travel.
• Steamship fares from San Francisco, 1909
  Shows 1st class and roundtrip rates to the west coasts of north and south America, and to Asia.

• Carriage, buggy and surrey prices - 1900 Price of wagons is on page 28. Source: Course of prices of farm implements and machinery... by the USDA Statistics Division (1901).
• Buggy and wagon prices, 1909
  See prices and specifications for horse-drawn buggies and wagons on pages 149-153 of this manufacturer's catalog dated 1909.
• Horse prices at Chicago and Omaha, 1900-1904
  Shows prices for saddle horses, carriage horse teams and draft horses as well as the smaller draft horses called chunks, trammers and bussers (see explanation of horse types). Source: U.S. Bureau of Animal Husbandry, 1904 Annual Report, p. 558.
• Horses and mules - Average price per head, 1867-1920
  Chart shows prices for farm animals. Source: USDA Yearbook, 1919 edition, p. 653.

STREETCARS, TAXICABS and FERRIES

• Street railway fares in the U.S., 1905
  Street railway fares in major cities tended to be 3 to 4 cents per ride according to an article in the American Monthly Review of Reviews, February 1905.
• Cab rates - St. Louis, 1903
  Cab fares for one-horse or two-horse vehicles were calculated by the mile, the hour, the number of passengers, number of stops and amount of packages. Source: The official red book; official St. Louis city guide.
• Ferry and taxi rates
  Municipalities could set prices of some services. For example, the fee schedule to take a ferry across the river at St. Louis is detailed in the 1907 city ordinances. Contact us for ferry and taxi rates for other cities.

• Women's and girl's clothing, mail order - 1908 

  "New York Fashions," the catalog of the National Cloak & Suit Company, shows ready-made clothing and made-to-order garments for women, girls and infants.

• Clothing for women and girls, Winter catalogue 1909-1910 

  Chicago retailer (Chas. S. Stevens & Bros.) mail order catalog with prices.

• Clothing for automobile travel - Catalog, 1908 

  Saks catalog shows prices for women's and men's garments designed for traveling in automobiles, including goggles, gloves and other supplies. See also an earlier edition showing clothing for 1905.

• Prices of articles bought by farmers, 1909 

  Shows prices for tools, implements, supplies, work gloves, shirts and shoes, shotguns, tobacco, wagons, building materials such as nails and shingles, and household items such as dishes and fruit jars, washtubs and buckets. Source: 1923 USDA Yearbook, Table 679.

• Prices of wagons, farm implements, machinery and hand tools - 1900 

  Prices of carriages, buggies, surreys, plows and cultivators, carts, engines, tools, equipment, supplies, etc. Source: USDA report, pp. 14-28. 

• Farm implements and supplies - Prices, 1900-1910 

  Prices for binders, mowers, wagons, plows, etc. See more detailed farm expenses for IL, ND, SC and TX on pages 1094-1117 of this source.

• Farm implement catalog, 1900 

  Well-illustrated catalog shows each product for sale. Includes plows, cultivators, planters and harrows. Source: B.F. Avery & Sons catalog.

• Farming tools and household items - Costs in Utah, 1900 

  See the cost of farm wagons, mowers, horse shoes, clothing, boots, lumber, coal oil and more in "Cost of living up," Salt Lake Herald newspaper, March 29, 1900, p. 5, c. 3.

• Horses and mules (p. 653)
• Milk cows and other cattle (p. 658)
• Sheep (p. 668)
• Swine (p. 675)

• ILLINOIS, 1909:
  Physician fees for end-of-life settings in Chicago around 1909 are discussed in the chapter The Cost of Dying in book Funeral Management and Costs (1921). 
• MARYLAND, 1907: 
  Fee table shows price ranges for medical and surgical services. Source: Dec 1907 issue of the Maryland Medical Journal.
• MICHIGAN, 1907: 
  The physicians fee chart adopted by the Ionia County Medical Society in 1907 is shown in the May 1908 issue of The Journal of the Michigan State Medical Society.
• NORTH CAROLINA, 1909:
  Physician fees for the following counties appear on pages 685-725 of the proceedings of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina's 56th annual meeting: Anson, Beaufort, Catawba, Caldwell, Columbus, Cherokee, Craven, Durham, Lexington, Davie, Winston-Salem, Franklin, Gaston, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson-Polk, Lenoir, Lincoln, Martin, Charlotte, Montgomery, Pitt, Rowan, Rutherford, Sampson, Surry, Scotland, Vance, Wilkes, Wilson, and Yadkin.
• TEXAS:
  • See fee tables established by the Llano-Mason County Medical Society and the Stephens County Medical Society in the Sep 1905 and Feb 1906 issues of The Texas State Journal of Medicine.
  • The charge for a doctor's house call could vary significantly by area and the ability of the family to pay. Yet a rough estimate is quoted from a doctor in Eastland, Texas: [In 1900], "the usual charge for a doctor's visit was, on the average over the country, one dollar. Often a half-dollar was tacked on for night calls, and for mileage in the country it ran $0.50 a mile" (page 34 of source).

Telephone

Telegraph

Quotable fact: In the 1900-1909 decade, less than 5% of people age 18-21 attended college. Source: U.S. Bureau of Education.

OTHER COLLEGE EXPENSES

• Hotel rates by city, 1909
  Shows hotel rates for New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.
• Hotel rates - U.S. and Canada, 1900-1908
  Each issue of Hotel Monthly had a hotel directory. The directories list hotels by state and then by city, and tell the daily rates for each. For example, see the hotel directory published in the January 1904 edition, which would likely have had rates current for 1903. 
• St. Louis hotel rates, 1903-1904
  Boarding house rates were 75 cents to $1 per day. Travel guide also tells how to take a streetcar to the World's Fair (p. 3)
• Summer resort rates - Gloucester Mass.,1905
  Show photographs of hotels along with daily and weekly rates on pp. 8-27.
   

• Horses and mules (p. 653)
• Milk cows and other cattle (p. 658)
• Sheep (p. 668)
• Swine (p. 675)

Prices in AUSTRALIA, 1900s

Prices in AUSTRIA, 1900s

Prices in BELGIUM, 1900s

Prices in CANADA, 1900s

Prices in FRANCE, 1900s

Prices in GERMANY, 1900s

Prices in HUNGARY, 1900s

Prices in INDIA, 1900s

Prices in IRELAND, 1900s

Prices in ITALY, 1900s

Prices in MEXICO, 1900s

Prices in POLAND, 1900s

Prices in the PHILIPPINES, 1900s

Prices in RUSSIA, 1900s

Prices in SWEDEN, 1900s

Sources showing prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1900s

• Foreign hotel rates, 1909
  Shows hotel rates in the currency of the country.  See exchange rates for 1909. 
  • Canada: Vancouver, Victoria (British Columbia)
  • Europe: Naples, Paris, London
  • Pacific Islands and Asia: Honolulu, Manila, Singapore, Java, Penang (Malaysia), Burma, India, Colombo (Sri Lanka)
  • Middle East: Cairo

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)

"75 Years of American Finance: A Graphic Presentation 1861-1935"
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis.
(Click image for detail)