Prices and Wages by Decade: 1900-1909

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

• Building and construction wages, 1890-1903
  Provides tables that compare wage rates in U.S., Great Britain, Germany, France and Belgium for specific occupations, including blacksmith, boiler makers, bricklayers, carpenters, compositors, hod carriers, iron molders, general laborers, machinists, house painters, plumbers, stone cutters, and stone masons. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin #53, pp 724-728.
• Building and construction wages by occupation and city, 1902-1910
  Wages in 1902, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1910 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.
• 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.
• 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.

• Government - 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.
• Iron and steel industry workers, 1907-1924
  Earnings per hour, customary hours of labor, and actual hours and earnings in one pay period in 1924 are presented in this report for wage earners in ten departments of the iron and steel industry in the United States. Summary figures for preceding years are also shown for each department.
• Iron and steel industry -- Wages and hours, 1912
  Wages and hours of labor for workers in the steel industry, broken up by location and occupation. Source: U. S. Congressional Serial Set Vol. 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.
• Military pay for enlisted men
  Many military job titles are listed separately such as electrician, band leader, sergeant major, etc. Pay tables extend from pages 775-782. Source: Soldiers' adjusted compensation: hearings ... Published 1920.

See manufacturing wages in the box below.

• Nurses 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 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 Association 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. Starting on page LXXXI, the average monthly wages of teachers in 1902 are listed.

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.

• Retail food prices by city
  • 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.

• Food prices in Hawaii, 1890-1910
  Lists prices of food, average wages of Hawaiians, and consumer expenditures. Source: 4th Report of the Commissioner of Labor for Hawaii, published 1910.

• Groceries from Macy's Catalog, 1908 

  Variety of baking goods, canned goods, alcohols, wines and beers. pp. 384-393.

• Prices for building materials in Hawaii, 1898-1910 

  Prices for red brick from California, window glass, nails and lumber (fir).

• Bathroom and kitchen fixtures - Price catalog, 1905 

  Commercial catalog shows prices and images for a range of bathroom sinks (lavatories), tubs, toilets, kitchen sinks and other fixtures, cast iron radiators and more. Some fixtures are intended for public buildings rather than private homes. Source: Nelson blue book on sanitary plumbing appliances.

• Price of lumber by wood type, 1899-1935 

  Tells average annual mill value per 1,000 board feet for 17 kinds of hardwood including oak, elm, hickory, walnut, maple, ash, sycamore, yellow poplar, etc.; and 14 kinds of softwood including redwood, spruce, cedar and several firs and pines. Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S, 1937 edition, table #688.

• 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: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture report.

• Farm land and buildings - Value per acre by U.S. region, 1850 

  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.

• Oklahoma - Price of farm land, 1902 

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

• Price of land in Missouri - 1903 

  Counties are discussed in short chapters, with each addressing land prices. 

• Farms for sale or rent in New York state, 1906 

  Book does not list averages, instead lists farms and farmhouses for sale along with amenities and asking price.

• Household utilities (gas) prices - 1885 to 1907 

  Shows prices by city for illumination and fuel gas in households.

• New car prices, 1904
  See pictures, specifications and prices in  "Pleasure Automobiles," Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine, January 1904, pp. 359-374.

This Ford automobile cost $750 in 1904

• New car prices, 1905-1909
  Annual editions of Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles for 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908 and 1909 give prices, specifications and pictures of passenger cars made by Buick, Cadillac, Studebaker, Daimler, Stevens-Duryea, Packard and more.
   
• • Domestic gasoline motor-cars in order by price
    • costing less than $1000
    • costing $1000-1499
    • costing $1500-1999
    • costing $2000-2499
    • selling at $2500
    • costing $2600-2699
    • costing $3000-3499
    • costing $3500-3999
    • costing $4000-4999
    • costing $4500-4999
    • costing $5000-5500
    • costing $5500-5999
    • costing $6000-6999
    • costing $7000-7999
    • costing $8000 and over
  • Imported gasoline pleasure vehicles
    • costing less than $5000
    • costing $5000-6499
    • costing $6500-7999
    • costing $8000-8999
    • costing $9000 and over
  • Electric pleasure cars
    • costing less than $1600
    • costing $1600-2499
    • costing $2500 and over
  • Steam pleasure vehicles
    • all price points
  less...Motor car list prices, 1905-1916
  Reference book for automobile insurers shows the list price for each make/model/year of car and truck sold between 1905-1916, including domestic cars and imports such as Mercedes, Benz and Fiat. The explanation section is helpful. See separate sections for gasoline powered cars and electric pleasure vehicles. 
   
• Used car prices in newspapers, 1904
  Check classified ad sections in newspapers for a sample of used car prices at any given time and place. Here is one example from Minneapolis in 1904. Use the Chronicling America website to find more.

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
  
  1902 Railway guide showed mileage on routes between cities Railway ticket prices were calculated on a formula of cents per mile, and from the time period 1894 until World War I 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 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)

OTHER TRANSPORTATION PRICES

• This 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, published 1910.
• 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.
• Price to take a ferry or taxi
  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.
• 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.

• 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 how much U.S. farmers paid for farm tools, implements and 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: US Dept of Agriculture Yearbook (1923), Table 679.

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

  Shows prices of carriages, buggies, surreys, farm implements such as plows and cultivators, carts, engines, tools, equipment and supplies for the year 1900. Tables extend from page 14-28 in this U.S. Dept of Agriculture report.

• Faming implements and supplies, 1900-1910 

  Tables of prices paid for farming implements and supplies by members of the agricultural industry from include IL, ND, SC and Texas can be found on pages 1094-1117 of this source.

• Illustrated 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.

• 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).

In the 1900-1909 decade, 4% to 5% of the population aged 18-21 enrolled in college. Source: U.S. Bureau of Education.

OTHER COLLEGE EXPENSES

• Hotel rates - U.S. and Canada, 1900-1908
  Each issue of Hotel Monthly had a hotel directory for the U.S. and Canada; find  the page number in the table of contents on the front cover of each issue. 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. See also the New York Public Library site for hotel restaurant prices.
• St. Louis hotel rates, 1903-1904
  Boarding house rates were 75 cents to $1 per day. Travel guide also gives directions on how to take a streetcar to the World's Fair (p. 3)
• Summer resort rates - Gloucester, MA in 1905
  Show photographs of hotels along with daily and weekly rates on pp. 8-27.
   

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 GREAT BRITAIN, 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

"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)