Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1910-1919

Wages in the United States, 1910-1919

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WAGES -- GENERAL SOURCES (all occupations and worker types)

Union wages and hours of labor, 1907-1919
Wage data is arranged by occupation and then by city. Example keywords to search on: ship carpenters, machinists, soft-drink establishment employees, waiters, motion picture machine operators, electricians, brewers, chauffeurs, stablemen, roofers, stonemasons, iron, newspaper, painters, plumbers, bookbinders. Some rows specify wages for females (see gender listed next to job title on this example page for laundry work.)

1907-1912, pages 68-121
1912-1913, pages 79-150
1914-1915, pages 22-220
1916-1917, pages 74-313
1918-1919, pages 69-281

Union wages by city, 1907-1921
The advantage of this table is that it shows wage rates for all the years from 1907-1921 together, so one can easily see changes over time. Lists union wages by city and then by occupation. Cities include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle. The limited number of union jobs listed here tend to fall into the building trades, metal work, and manufacturing.
War and Postwar Wages, Prices, and Hours, 1914-23 and 1939-44
Compares wage rates and hours of work for the WWI and WWII eras, focusing specifically on the manufacturing, mining, railroad, printing and maritime industries, as well as farm labor wages. Discussion puts wage data in context with price levels which were definitely affected by the wars.
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. Note that the U. S. Census report Negroes in the United States (1904) shows the most common occupations for Negroes in 1890 and 1900.
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 paid to workers placed by employment offices, 1918
Wages shown for these occupations in many cities across the U.S.: blacksmiths, boilermakers, bricklayers, carpenters, cleaning women, male cooks, female cooks, drivers and teamsters, dock laborers, farm hands, hod carriers, house servants, inside wiremen, laborers, laundry operators (male and female), machinists, molders, painters, plasterers, plumbers, saleswomen, seamstresses, sewing machine operators, stenographers (male and female), structural iron workers, telephone switchboard operators, waiters, waitresses, “casual workers” (male and female).

WAGES BY OCCUPATION / INDUSTRY

Note: For detail on job duties, check the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Descriptions of Occupations, published 1918.

Architects' earnings, ca. 1914
"Architects ask from $75 to $100 for designing the average dwelling," according to this page of the Montgomery Ward catalog, Building Plans of Modern Homes.
Building and construction trades - Union wages, 1913-1930
Arranged by occupation and then by city and year, this source shows wages and hours for union bricklayers, building laborers, carpenters, cement finishers, inside granite cutters, hod carriers, inside wiremen, painters, plasterers, plumbers, sheet-metal workers, stonecutters and structural iron workers.
Carpenter hours and wages by state and city - 1910
Hundreds of towns are included.
Coal mining - Hours and earnings, 1919-1933
Engineers, civil - Compensation in the early 1910s
Data from membership of the American Society of Civil Engineers, as reported in the January 7, 1915 issue of Engineering News. The article refers to an earlier article that appeared in the ASCE Proceedings. Neither are government documents.
Engineering graduates' income by years of experience - 1915
Chart shows average income earned by engineering graduates of an unnamed western state university, broken out by the number of years the person has been out of school.
Farm workers - Wages and income, 1909 to 1938
The wage rates broken out by year and geographic location. Wages for farm workers are compared to that of factory workers. Article starts on page 59 of the BLS Monthly Labor Review, July 1939 issue.
Farm laborer wages, 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.
Farmers income by state, 1919
Near the bottom of each table, see the number of farms and average income of farms in each state. Scroll forward in the source to see all states. Source: National Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Government (city) 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.
Government employee pay - New York state, 1911-1931
This source is entirely about compensation of state and local government employees in New York. See the table of contents for additional tables and discussion.
Government (state) employees in Missouri - 1917
The Missouri Official Manual (Blue Books) series gave the annual or monthly salary of every employee at public colleges, reform schools for youth, mental hospitals, institutions for the handicapped, etc. The data is reported by the institution, by occupation and by person. The figures are not averaged. Find occupations such as dentist, druggist, physician, chaplain, cook, night watchmen, cooks, nurses and attendants. Professors' and teachers' salaries vary by the subject taught.
Higher education - Salaries for college teachers and administrators - 1913
For each of the major state universities in the U.S., this source lists the minimum and maximum salaries paid to college professors (associate, assistant and adjunct), deans, instructors in the prep department, and tutors.

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Source: "Statistics of State Universities and Other Institutions of Higher Education Partially supported By the State for the year ended June 30, 1913; Bulletin 1913, no.60"
Iron and steel industry wages and hours, 1907-1931
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.
Judicial branch salaries (federal employees), 1908-1922
Arranged geographically, this source shows the salaries of circuit judges, district judges, U.S. marshals, U.S. attorneys and their assistants, deputies, commissioners, court clerks, office boys, messengers, salaries and wages of employees at U.S. penitentiaries, and more. Source: Register of the Department of Justice and the Judicial Officers of the United States. Salaries were listed in this publication up through 1922.
Lawyers graduated from Harvard - Average annual earnings, 1914
Data taken from a survey Harvard conducted of its own graduates. Shows how much grads earned based on number of years of experience, from 1-10. This is taken from an article comparing lawyers' earnings to that of teachers. It is not a government document.
Lighthouse and light vessels wages, 1916
Reports wages for those who tended lighthouses and who worked on light vessels. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set #7102.
Lumber, millwork, and furniture industries,1907 to 1913
Figures relating to full-time hours of labor per week and rates of wages per hour are presented for the years 1907 to 1913 inclusive, and for full-time weekly earnings for the years 1910 to 1913 inclusive.
Lumber, millwork, and furniture industries, wages and hours, 1915
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 225
Manufacturing
See box below for manufacturing wages by industry.

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Includes links to general sources and sources specific to the following industries: food, clothing, textiles, furniture, and cigar.
Military pay for enlisted men in the Marines, Navy and Army, 1917-1920
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.
Military pay charts, 1908-1919
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.
Prisoner of war wages - World War I
Discussion on pages 56-65 of History of Prisoner of War Utilization by the United States Army, 1776-1945. The 1918-1919 Annual Report of the War Department tells that prisoners of war interned at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, were paid 25-35 cents per day.
Railroad cars, building and repair - Wages, 1907-1913
Covers the rates of wages per hour in each year for the major occupations involved in the building and repairing of steam railroad cars. It also includes tables broken down by state.
Railroad employees rates of pay - 1907-1915
This report contains many tables detailing the rates of pay for railroad employees for the years 1907 to 1915 based on division or railroad company. Includes locomotive engineers, locomotive firemen, conductors, trainmen, baggagemen and brakemen. See the table of contents to find the page number for each railroad company discussed.
Railway (electric) employees - average compensation, 1912, 1917, 1922
Table shows the average compensation per employee paid by electric railways in 1912, 1917, and 1922. Includes officials, managers and superintendents, clerks and stenographers, conductors and motormen. Source: National Wealth and Income.
Railway workers' hours and wages by occupation, 1914-1923
Source: Wages, hours and employment of railroad workers published 1924 by the National Industrial Conference Board.
Shipbuilding industry wages, 1918

Workman in a shipyard, 1917 poster
See wage rates by occupation for shipbuilding workers on the Atlantic coast, Gulf coast and Great Lakes districts, and in the Pacific coast shipyards.
Slaughtering and meat-packing industry, wages and hours - 1917
Street railway employment in the U.S., 1917
Wages, additional compensation, and hours or labor and days worked. For further information on the actual jobs and duties, see also description of occupations in street railway industry.
Teachers
See box below for teachers salaries by state, county and city.
Telephone industry - average compensation per employee, 1912, 1917, 1922
Table shows the average compensation per employee in the telephone industry by occupational group (officers, managers, clerks, operators, other) for 1912, 1917, and 1922. Source: National Wealth and Income.

Manufacturing Wages, 1910-1919

WAGES in MANUFACTURING, 1910s -- General sources

See tabs above for specific industries

Manufacturing industries - Wages, hours and earnings, 1914-1919
Book titled Wartime Changes in Wages reports wages, hours and earnings by occupation and gender for each year from 1914-1919 in the metal, cotton, wool, silk, boot and shoe, paper, rubber, and chemical manufacturing industries. Published by the National Industrial Conference Board, a group of industry associations.
Factory employee average annual wages - 1914, 1919
Table shows average annual wage per factory employee, by major manufacturing groups, in 1914, 1919, 1921, and 1923. See table 164 on page 264 for average annual wage per factory employee by principal regions.

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Manufacturing groups include transportation, iron and steel, railroad repair, paper and printing, machinery, rubber products, metals, chemicals, stone, musical instruments, food, leather, lumber, textiles, tobacco, and miscellaneous.
Manufacturing industry - Average monthly earnings, 1918-1920
Shows breakouts by type of manufacturing operation: automobile manufacture, cigar making, boots/shoe making, men's clothing, iron/steel, hosiery/underwear manufacture, etc. Source: Survey of Current Business. Find additional data by checking other issues of this publication.

WAGES in FOOD MANUFACTURING, 1910s

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Candy makers - Wages in Philadelphia, 1919
Most of the workers in this industry were women and girls. The report goes into great detail on the living expenses these workers had, the degree to which they needed to support family members with their wages, and necessary expenditures.

WAGES in CLOTHING MANUFACTURING, 1910s

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Boot and shoe manufacturing - Wages and hours, 1910 to 1932
Average hours and earnings by occupation.
Boot, shoe, hosiery and underwear manufacturing wages, 1907-1913
Clothing industry - Wages and hours of labor, 1911 and 1912
Rates of wages per hour in cigar manufacturing and clothing manufacturing for the years 1911 and 1912. The tables are broken down by occupation and city.
Clothing (men's) manufacturing - Wages, 1911 to 1924
Tells wages for the years 1911 to 1914, 1919, and 1922. The wage data for this bulletin are from establishments engaged in making men’s outer garments—coats, pants, vests, and over-coats—for the trade, or what is commonly known as men’s ready-made clothing. Special-order and merchant-tailor establishments are not included.
Clothing (women's) manufacturing - Piece rates, New York City - 1912 and 1913
This source goes into detail on how employees were paid for piecework, which could include hemming, button sewing, setting the collars, etc. on women's garments.
Clothing (cloak, suit, and skirt manufacture) - Wages, 1912-1913
Wage data for New York City in manufacturer association shops and non-association shops. Source also shows wages for workers in Boston in association shops. See chart showing the difference in pay for males and females in Boston shops.
Hosiery and underwear manufacturing - Wages and hours, 1907-1932

WAGES in TEXTILE MANUFACTURING, 1910s

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Cotton goods manufacturing and finishing industry - Wages and hours, 1916
Workers in this industry engaged in spinning, weaving, dyeing, bleaching and printing fabrics in addition to other tasks involved in preparing cloth. Shows data by state for 1914 and 1916.
Cotton goods manufacturing and finishing industry - Wages and hours, 1918
Cotton, woolen, and silk industry wages, 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.
Woolen goods manufacturing - Wages and hours of labor, 1910 to 1930
Average earnings and hours worked for workers in woolen and worsted goods manufacturing in 15 states.

WAGES in FURNITURE MANUFACTURING, 1910s

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Furniture manufacturing industry - Wages and hours, 1910 to 1929
Average and classified earnings by occupations. Hours worked, overtime and bonuses. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 526

WAGES in CIGAR MANUFACTURING, 1910s

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Cigar industry - Wages and hours of labor, 1911 and 1912
Rates of wages per hour in cigar manufacturing and clothing manufacturing for the years 1911 and 1912. The tables are broken down by occupation and city.

Teacher salaries by state, county and city. 1910-1919

TEACHER SALARIES for ALL STATES, 1910s

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TEACHER SALARIES in CALIFORNIA, 1910s
Most data is broken out by women and men teachers.

1911-1912
- Kindergarten teacher salaries (100% women teachers)
- Elementary school teacher salaries
- High School teacher salaries
1913-1914
- Kindergarten teacher salaries (100% women teachers)
- Elementary school teacher salaries
- High school teacher salaries
1915-1916
- Kindergarten teacher salaries (100% women teachers)
- Elementary school teacher and principal salaries
- High school teacher and principal salaries
1918
For additional California school reports dating from 1866-1937, see the record in Hathi Trust.

TEACHER SALARIES in GEORGIA, 1910s

1911
- School teacher salary general summary (see "Statistical Summary")
- School teacher salaries by county and by male/female
1915 and 1916
- Statewide summary of teacher salaries by race and sex
- School teacher salaries by county, and further broken out by race and sex of teacher
1919
- School teacher salary statewide averages by race and sex of teacher, broken out by grammar school and high school
For additional Georgia school reports dating from 1879-1922, see the Hathi Trust record.

TEACHER SALARIES in MISSOURI, 1910s

1911-1912
- Average salary per month (male, female and general) by county. This table spans three pages, 104 to 106.
- Statewide average salary per month by sex.
- Average annual salary (male, female and general) by type of high school maintained and for schools not in villages, towns or cities. Table headings can be found on pervious page.
- Average annual salary (male, female and general) in town versus country schools.
For additional Missouri school reports dating from 1868/1869-1936/1937, see the Hathi Trust record.

Wages by State, 1910-1919

WAGES in CALIFORNIA, 1910s

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Weekly earnings in California, 1913
Tables from California's Bureau of Labor Statistics show how much men and women earned across all industries. By paging forward in the report, one can find breakouts for many individual industries.

WAGES in MASSACHUSETTS, 1910s

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Wages by occupation in Massachusetts, 1910
This book collects very detailed statistics of hourly and weekly wages by industry and locality in the state of Massachusetts.
Lawrence, MA - Textile industry wages, 1911
This report contains detailed tables showing average hourly rates of wages by occupation, sex, and age group at cotton and woolen and worsted mills in Lawrence, MA in November 1911. Chapter Two discusses wages, hours, and conditions in the textile mills in depth.

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Average amounts earned during a week and average hours worked per week are also reported for both types of mills:

WAGES in MISSOURI, 1910s

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Missouri - Average weekly wages by occupation, 1914
This table from the 1914 Report of the Missouri Workmen's Compensation Commission includes average weekly wages for a number of occupations in Missouri such as bakers, breweries, electricians, machinists, stevedores, teamsters, and more.
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.
Missouri - Salaries of State Highway Department Personnel, 1917-18 and 1919-20
Both the 1917-18 and the 1919-20 Report of the Missouri State Highway Board contain tables of personnel and salaries, including board members, engineers, stenographers, draftsmen, and more.

WAGES in MICHIGAN, 1910s

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Grand Rapids, MI - Furniture manufacturing workers, 1910
Rates of pay (per day) for engineers, foremen, cabinet makers, cabinetmakers' helpers, carvers, finishers, machine hands, unskilled laborers, and boys at the Grand Rapids Chair Company. Average earnings of pieceworkers are reported on the next page.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities, Vol. 2 (Serial Set 5922).

WAGES in NEW YORK, 1910s

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Wages and hours for all union occupations in New York state - 1912
Shows wages by occupation and town in New York state, and shows the separate wages for men and women. This truly amazing source has an extensive list of occupations, including those seldom seen in other documents: theatrical costumers, musicians for silent movie shows, orchestral musicians, house movers, hearse drivers, piano movers, writers working at newspapers (journalists), sail makers, photo-engravers, bartenders in saloons, elevator men in hotels, and thousands more.

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Union occupations in New York state:
- Building and stone working job wages
- Transportation job wages
- Clothing and textile job wages
- Metals, machinery and ship building job wages
- Printing, bookbinding etc. job wages
- Wood working and furniture job wages
- Food and liquor production job wages
- Theater and music job wages
- Tobacco products manufacturing job wages
- Hotel, restaurant and retail trade job wages includes barbers, grocery store workers, clothing salespeople, carpet salespeople, shoe store workers, etc.
- Public employees' wages Includes hospital employees such as nurses, letter carriers, post office clerks, building inspectors, etc.
- Stationary engine tending job wages
- Miscellaneous jobs wages includes paper makers, leather workers, glass bottle blowers, diamond cutters, umbrella makers and more.
African Americans' earnings in New York City, ca. 1912
Occupations are discussed in chapter 4 and wages in chapter 5. There is also a section on Negro business enterprises on pages 93-142. Source: The Negro at work in New York city; a study in economic progress, a Columbia University publication.
Theatrical occupations in NYC, 1913-1914
Shows pay for those involved in "1st class New York City productions" including actors of various levels (from chorus to leads) as well as directors, designers, musicians, scene painters, stage hands, etc. Source: The Business of the Theater, pp. 199-203.

WAGES in OHIO, 1910s

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Ohio - Average annual wages and salaries by occupation, 1916-1932
The "Service Industries" chapter in this source breaks out wages paid to workers in hospitals, hotels, bowling alleys, theaters, parks, churches, country clubs, athletic clubs and yacht clubs, advertising agencies, banks, laundries, schools/colleges, and restaurants (making no distinction between waiters, cooks or bus boys). Lists wages paid to auto mechanics, office workers, window cleaners, barbers and hairdressers, bartenders in saloons, domestic servants, people working in social agencies, and more. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin, No. 613. Check the Table of Contents page for even more wages in manufacturing and construction industries and for people working in retail trades and in transportation.

WAGES in PENNSYLVANIA, 1910s

Teenagers' occupations and wages by race in Philadelphia, 1912
Special study of the occupations and wages of students aged 13-19 years old from two schools. One school (Potter) had white students and the other (Durham) had "colored." This report gives detail on each student's age, job, race and pay.

Women's Wages by State, 1910-1919.

Army nurses earned $720-$960 annually in 1918

WOMEN'S WAGES in MULTIPLE STATES, 1910s

See tabs above for individual states or minimum wage law.

Because women's wages varied a great deal around the country in the 1910s, most wage data is reported by state. In addition to the state-by-state links below, see also the links further above for school teachers, clothing manufacture and laundry work, as women workers were heavily concentrated in those jobs. See list of the most common occupations for women in 1910 and 1920, outside of agricultural work.

Army Nurse Corps - Pay, 1918
The pay for nurses was $720 annual for the first period of three years' service, $780 for the second period of three years' service, $840 for the third period of three years' service, $900 for the fourth period of three years' service, and $960 after twelve years' service in the Army Nurse Corps. See congressional statute establishing pay rates.

WOMEN'S WAGES in CALIFORNIA, 1910s

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California - Women's wages, hours and working conditions in 1911
There is much information in this 522-page report, especially about working conditions. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 96
Changes in women's median wages in California, 1914-1925
The purpose of this chapter is to show changes in wages around the time that minimum wage laws were being passed. For simplicity, look for tables giving median values. "First quartile" and "third quartiles" are statistical terms explained on page 334.

WOMEN'S WAGES in WASHINGTON, D.C., 1910s

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District of Columbia - Women's wages in 1913
Reports hours and wages for women working in retail stores, factories, hotels, restaurants and offices. Some occupations include cashier, saleswoman, laundry worker, baker, shirt maker, seamstress, milliner, typist, waitress, maid, dishwasher, bookkeeper. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set volume 6460.
District of Columbia - Changes in women's median wages by industry, 1919-1922
Source: Bulletin of the Women's Bureau No. 61, 1928

WOMEN'S WAGES in INDIANA, 1910s

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Indiana - Women's wages in mercantile and garment factories, early 1910s
Also discusses hours and working conditions. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 160, published 1914.

WOMEN'S WAGES in KANSAS, 1910s

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Kansas - Changes in women's median wages by industry, 1916-1924
Source: Bulletin of the Women's Bureau No. 61, 1928.

WOMEN'S WAGES in MARYLAND, 1910s

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Maryland - Women's wages, hours and working conditions in 1911
There is much information in this 522-page report, especially about working conditions. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 96

WOMEN'S WAGES in MASSACHUSETTS, 1910s

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Massachusetts - Changes in women's median wages by industry
- 1913-1925
- 1910-1922
Source: Bulletin of the Women's Bureau No. 61, 1928.

WOMEN'S WAGES in NEW YORK, 1910s

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New York - Union wages and hours for all occupations by sex - 1912
In a list that spans pages 448-531, one can see unionized jobs, wages and hours for women listed separately from men. Wages are reported by town/city. Women tend to be clustered in certain fields; click these links to jump directly to the sections: Actors and musicians, Tobacco product manufacture, Public hospital nurses and attendants, Post office clerks, Telegraph operators and clothing factory workers, Printing and bookbindery workers. There are more jobs for female workers throughout this extensive table; check the column labeled "Sex" for the letter F for female.
Colored women's wages in New York, 1918
Study conducted by several civic leagues in collaboration with the YWCA. Source: A New Day for the Colored Woman Worker: A Study of Colored Women in Industry in New York City (published 1919). This is not a government document.

WOMEN'S WAGES in OREGON, 1910s

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Oregon - Minimum wage for women and girls in the 1910s
Oregon's minimum wage laws for women and girls went into effect in 1913 and 1914. This source documents their actual average earnings before and after the laws took effect. Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin #176.
Oregon - Changes in women's median wages by industry, 1917-1918
Source: Bulletin of the Women's Bureau No. 61, 1928.

WOMEN'S WAGES in PENNSYLVANIA, 1910s

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Pennsylvania - Candy makers in Philadelphia, 1919
The report goes into great detail on the workers' living conditions and expenses, and explains how many of them had difficulty living on the low wages.

WOMEN'S WAGES in WASHINGTON, 1910s

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Washington state - Changes in women's median wages by industry, 1913-1914, 1920
Source: Bulletin of the Women's Bureau No. 61, 1928.

MINIMUM WAGE for WOMEN, 1910s

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History of state minimum wage laws for women and children
See a chart showing rates and detail for Arkansas, Arizona, South Dakota, Utah and Puerto Rico. The first federal minimum wage was not enacted until 1938.
Changes in women's median wages by state and industry - 1910s-1920s
The purpose of this chapter is to show changes in wages around the time that minimum wage laws for women were being passed. For simplicity, look for tables giving median values. "First quartile" and "third quartiles" are statistical terms explained on page 334.

Wages in Foreign Countries, 1910-1919

Wages in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1910s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

Carpenter wages in English-speaking foreign countries, 1910
Foreign countries include England and Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. Source: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 87, Volume XX. Published March 1910.
European countries - Wages, 1914-1921
Covers Great Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. Wages expressed in both foreign currency and dollars. Data gathered by the National Industrial Conference Board (a group of industry associations) which used European government publications for information.
European countries - Wages and prices, 1900 and 1910
Consular reports show wages and salaries by job title for countries including Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Japan, Belgium, Spain and more.

Wages in ARGENTINA, 1910s

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Buenos Aries - Salaries of teachers and government employees, 1900 and 1910
Tables show the 1900 and 1910 salaries per year for teachers in public and national schools and for government employees including letter carriers, policemen, and clerks.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1402.

Wages in AUSTRIA, 1910s

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Salaries of Austrian Civil Service officials, 1910
Table shows salaries and allowances of the prime minister, cabinet ministers, supreme court presidents, governors of provinces, and other Austrian officials in 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3 (1911), page 1233.

Wages in CANADA, 1910s

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Canada - Average wages of farm help by province
Covers the years 1909, 1910 and 1914-1916.
Source: Statistics Canada website.
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia - Weekly wages of various occupations
This table, published in 1911, shows wages for various occupations in Nova Scotia, including at cotton mills and iron works and for printers, plumbers, bakers, tailors and tailoresses, barbers, cigar makers, typewriters and stenographers, blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons and plasterers. Some are broken down by sex.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1409.

Wages in FRANCE, 1910s

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Roubaix, France - Average labor wages, 1912
Table shows average 1912 wage per day, in francs and United States equivalent, for the principal industries and traces in the city of Roubaix.
Salaries and wages of certain French government employees - 1900 and 1910.
Reports the 1900 and 1910 wages (in dollars) for employees in government match and tobacco factories.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1224-1225.
Havre - Salaries of officials and civil servants, 1900 and 1910
Table shows salaries (in dollars) of officials and civil servants in Havre, France for 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1302.

Wages in GERMANY, 1910s

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Berlin - Salaries and wages of officials and teachers, 1900 and 1910
Tables show the minimum and maximum 1900 and 1910 salaries of post-office officials, police officials, fire service employees, and teachers at secondary and primary schools. Also shows per diem wages of the street cleaning and sprinkling service.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1237-1238.
Hamburg - Salaries of public officers, 1900 and 1910
This three-page table shows maximum and minimum salaries paid (in marks) to various classes of public officials in the state of Hamburg in 1900 and 1910, including police officers, fire brigade, custom-house officers, court officials and judges, teachers in schools, and in the building department.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1284-1286.

Wages in GREAT BRITAIN, 1910s

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United Kingdom - Wages by occupation, 1893-1913
Wages reported in UK government documents.
Great Britain - Wages by occupation and sex, 1914-1921
Shows wages for cities in England, Scotland and Wales in British currency. Tables extend from page 48-66.
Great Britain - Wages by industry, 1914-1921
After the introductory matter on page 93, the wage tables appear on pages 94-96 of this source.
Salaries - British Government employees, letter carriers, teachers in public schools - 1900 and 1910
Tables in this report show the 1900 and 1910 salaries (in dollars) of
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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1174-1179.
Birmingham - Wages in the post-office service and for teachers - 1900 and 1910
This report contains tables showing the scale of wages (minimum and maximum) of Birmingham post-office service employees by rank and the salaries of teachers for the years 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1197-1199.
Liverpool - Salaries of post-office employees and teachers
Tables show salaries of post office employees by class in Liverpool and Birkenhead in 1910 (which were the same as those for 1900) and maximum and minimum salaries of teacher by rank, class, and gender for 1900, 1905, and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1210-1211.
Manchester - Teacher salaries, 1900 and 1910
This section includes tables showing salaries paid to teachers and assistant teachers in the Manchester public schools in 1900 and 1910. It also discusses the additional "cents per unit" head teachers receive based on number of scholars and the earnings of pupil teachers

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1273-1274.
Manchester - Salaries of government officials, 1900 and 1910
Tables show salaries paid to post-office and other government officials in Manchester in 1900 and 1910. Supplemental tables show salaries of officials employed at the Manchester custom-house and the mercantile marine office at Salford.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1274-1275, 1381-1382.
Glasgow, Scotland - Salaries of government employees, 1900 and 1910
In Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities, Vol. 3.
Glasgow, Scotland - Salaries of head masters, 1900 and 1910
Salaries of head masters and head mistresses in Glasgow public schools for 1900 and 1910 are given.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1277.

Wages in INDIA, 1910s

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India - Wages by geographic area and occupation, 1910s
Shows wages in rupees by provinces and districts for occupations such as agricultural laborer, mason, carpenter, horse-keeper and blacksmith. Scroll forward in the source to find average daily wages in urban areas. Compares wages to data from 1873.

Wages in IRELAND, 1910s

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Dublin - Salaries of government officials, 1900 and 1910
Table compares pay scales of certain government officials in Dublin for 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1371.

Wages in JAPAN, 1910s

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Salaries of Japanese government officers, 1900 and 1910
Comprehensive tables show the salaries per annum (in yen) of Japanese government officers, local government officers at Yokohama, and diplomatic and consular officers.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1372-1381.

District of Mazatlan - Governmental salaries, 1910
The municipal budget of for the District of Mazatlan for 1910 details (in Mexican currency) how much was paid to government employees including secretaries, clerks, porters, treasurers, administrators, collectors, school directors and assistants, laborers, gardeners, physicians, surgeons, apothecaries, nurses, watchmen, cooks, pancake bakers, police officers, inspectors, gendarmes, machinists, mayors, wardens, and more. Table continues from page 1333 to page 1353.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1333-1353.
Mexico, Mexico - Salaries of government employees in 1910
This report lists the salaries per annum of government employees in Mexico City for 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1314-1316.
Guadalajara - Salaries of post-office employees and teachers, 1910
This report gives the 1910 salaries of post-office employees and school teachers in Guadalajara.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1317.
Veracruz - Salaries of city employees, 1910
Includes the police force, prison officials, firemen, market inspectors, city engineer, horticulturalist, public education, and city council.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1320-1321.

Wages in POLAND, 1910s

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Warsaw - Salaries of government employees for 1900 and 1910
Lists salaries paid in connection with the offices of the governor-general, the chief of police and the president of Warsaw and for letter carriers in 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1279-1280.
Warsaw - Salaries of teachers in the public schools, 1900 and 1910
In Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, p.1281.

Wages in Russia, 1910s

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Russia - Wages and cost of living, 1914-1917
This article describes the rising cost of food and manufactured products in comparison with wages for the pre-revolutionary period. It includes tables of daily wages and costs of principal foodstuffs. Each are listed in both rubles and US currency.
St. Petersburg - Salaries of letter carriers and teachers, 1900 and 1910
This table shows the salaries (in dollars) of letter carriers and teachers at St. Petersburg in 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1306.
Odessa - Wages of laborers, schoolteachers, and merchants, 1910
This 1910 report on the cost of living at Odessa, Russia discusses the wages of laborers, the salaries of schoolteachers, and the salaries of those in "ordinary mercantile pursuits."

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1308.

Wages in SWEDEN, 1910s

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Sweden - Wages, early 1910s
See section titled "Labor Conditions and Workmen's Wages" starting on page 632. This is taken from the book Sweden; historical and statistical handbook published in Stockholm by the Swedish government in 1914.

Analysis - Wages and Income in the 1910s

Critical analysis of government methods for collecting and reporting wage data in the 1910s.

Are Wages Too High?
Analysis of whether wages were keeping pace with cost of living (i.e. buying power) and whether wages were enough to live on. Provides factory wages in actual earnings and purchasing power, 1899, 1904, 1909, 1914, 1919. All union trades, 1907-1921. Specific building trades, 1913 and 1920. Coal miners 1900-1921, railroad wages 1900-1921. This was published by the People's Legislative Service. It is not a government publication.
Wages and Salaries in Organized Industry
This article in the May 1915 issue of Popular Science magazine suggests that much of the wage data collected by the government was misleading due to misuse of averaging. The author, a professor from the University of Pennsylvania, argues that actual wages for most low-level earners were actually lower than what government reports indicated.
Income in the Unites States: Its Amount and Distribution
One of the best and earliest sources for income information beyond just wage or salary income. Compiled by the staff of the National Bureau of Economic Research and published in 1921.

Important Legislation about Wages, 1910s-1920s

Development of minimum wage laws in the U.S., 1912-1927
During the 1910s and 1920s, minimum wage laws were adopted by a handful of states and generally applied only to women and children.
Minimum-Wage Legislation in the United States and Foreign Countries
Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 167
Compensation Legislation of 1914 and 1915
Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 185
Wage-Payment Legislation in the United States
Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 229

Prices in the United States, 1910-1919

PRICES for FOOD, 1910s

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Average food prices nationwide -- 1913-1919
The average price of a package of corn flakes was 14 cents in 1919.
Nationwide average retail prices are provided on pages 62-69. Lists steak, roast, beef, pork chops, lard, bacon, ham, lamb, canned salmon, eggs, cheese, butter, milk, bread, flour, corn meal, rice, potatoes, granulated sugar, coffee, tea, onions, navy beans, prunes, raisins, margarine, rolled oats, evaporated canned milk, corn flakes, Cream of Wheat, and Crisco by year and month.
Average food prices BY CITY, 1913-1919
Includes all the foods listed above, but breaks out the retail prices by city. Note that each table spans the width of TWO pages. See row labels on even-numbered pages.

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Alabama: Birmingham and Mobile.
Arkansas: Little Rock.
California: Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Connecticut: Bridgeport and New Haven.
Colorado: Denver.
District of Columbia: Washington
Florida: Jacksonville
Georgia: Atlanta
Illinois: Chicago, Peoria and Springfield
Indiana: Indianapolis
Kentucky: Louisville
Louisiana: New Orleans
Maine: Portland
Massachusetts: Boston and Fall River
Maryland: Baltimore
Michigan: Detroit
Minnesota: Minneapolis and St. Paul
Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis
Montana: Butte
Nebraska: Omaha
New Hampshire: Manchester
New Jersey: Newark
New York: Buffalo, Rochester and New York City
Ohio: Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton
Rhode Island: Providence
South Carolina: Charleston
Tennessee: Memphis
Texas: Dallas and Houston
Utah: Salt Lake City
Virginia: Norfolk and Richmond
Washington: Seattle
Wisconsin: Milwaukee
Average retail food prices reported annually from 1890-1970
This one-page table shows the average retail prices for bread, milk, eggs, meats, fruits, vegetables, coffee, beans, sugar, margarine, etc. each year from 1890-1970. Data collection took place in about 30-60 U.S. cities. Jump to page 193 of this resource for an excellent explanation of the historical table and the methodology of data collection.
Average food prices nationwide, comparing 1913 and 2013
See Table 1 on page 2 which shows nationwide price averages for such staples as milk, bread, coffee, potatoes, bacon, ham and sugar for the years 1913 and 2013. Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Average prices paid for butter, eggs, milk and poultry - 1910
Government agent checking food prices
in 1914
Tables on pages 1542-1552 detail the average prices paid by customers and retail dealers for butter, eggs, milk, and poultry in 70 specific cities in Jan 1910. Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities, Vol. 3 (Serial Set 5923).
Average retail prices for food in 24 U.S. cities - 1916
The city of Chicago published this report that drew on retail price data collected from food stores in working class neighborhoods in cities around the nation, including Dayton, Columbus, Jersey City, Oakland and 19 other large U.S. cities. Shows average retail prices for 20 food items. Here is another version that shows table pages side by side.
Food prices by store in selected U.S. cities (NOT averaged), 1912-1913
Shows the retail prices for various foods at a number of stores in each city. The stores are not named and the prices are not averaged together. Includes meats, flour, eggs, butter, potatoes, sugar and milk. Bread prices are shown in a separate table.

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Alabama: Birmingham
Arkansas: Little Rock
California: Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Connecticut: Bridgeport and New Haven.
Colorado: Denver
District of Columbia: Washington
Florida: Jacksonville
Georgia: Atlanta
Illinois: Chicago
Indiana: Indianapolis
Kentucky: Louisville
Louisiana: New Orleans
Massachusetts: Boston and Fall River
Maryland: Baltimore
Michigan: Detroit
Minnesota: Minneapolis and St. Paul
Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis
Nebraska: Omaha
New Hampshire: Manchester
New Jersey: Newark
New York: Buffalo and New York City
Ohio: Cincinnati and Cleveland
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton
Rhode Island: Providence
South Carolina: Charleston
Tennessee: Memphis
Texas: Dallas
Utah: Salt Lake City
Virginia: Richmond
Washington: Seattle
Wisconsin: Milwaukee
Food prices by store in selected U.S. cities (NOT averaged), 1915-1916
Tells retail prices of grocery items in various American cities, and even tells the price of various brand names, for example Gold Medal flour, Pillsbury's Best flour, King Arthur flour, etc. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 228.

Jell-O advertisement, 1918
Grocery catalog from Macy's, 1911
Grocery and wine catalog from Bloomingdale's, 1915
Shows retail prices for specific brand name products.
Grocery catalog from Sears Roebuck, 1918
Food prices in New York state, 1912
Compares wholesalers' cost and retailers' selling price of dairy products, meats, fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry and staple groceries and canned goods in New York state in 1912.
Butter prices in Chicago, 1907-1912
Source analyzes the cost of production and prices to consumer.
Lawrence, MA - Retail prices of meats and groceries, 1911 & 1912
Table shows retail prices of meats and groceries at eight firms in Lawrence, MA for November 1911 and March 1912. Note: each table spans two pages. The section spans pages 166-177.
Flour prices in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois - 1906, 1910, 1911
Source analyzes the cost of production and consumer prices for hard winter wheat flour.
Food prices paid by farmers, 1910-1943
Prices paid in rural areas for a pound of butter, coffee, rice, bacon or lard. Also prices for 24-pound sack of flour and 10-pound sack of sugar. Covers the years 1910-1914 (5 year average), 1919,1929, 1939 and 1943.
Restaurant food and drink prices, 1910s
The New York Public Library has over 3,000 scanned restaurant menus from the 1910-1919 decade. This is not a government resource but it can be useful for spot-checking prices of specific foods or beverages at restaurants.

PRICES for MERCHANDISE, 1910s

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Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalog, 1910
Click for direct links to specific products in the catalog...

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Ladies':
Dresses, house dresses, ready made tailored suits, skirts, blouses (waists), hats, corsets, corset covers, underskirts, nightgowns, aprons, petticoats, hosiery, underwear, shoes, "sensible" shoes, coats, furs, bathing suits.
Men’s:
Overalls and work pants, work shirts, socks, underwear, collars and cuffs, made to order tailored suits, moderately priced suits, gloves, hats, shoes, fur coats, bathing suits.
Children’s:
Clothing, hats, coats, more coats, girl's dresses, boy's shirts, boy’s knickerbocker suits, dolls, toys, toy wagons and tricycles. Baby clothes, bonnets, booties, supplies, carriages.
Personal items, such as:
Pocket watches, smoking pipes, shaving razors, hair pieces, fountain pens, jewelry, diamonds.
Items for the home, including:
Telephones, chairs, bedroom furniture, dining room sets, mattresses, kitchen cabinets, dishes and tableware, cookware, vacuum cleaners, and oil lamps.
Items for home industry or earning income, such as:
Tools used in building trades, tool kits, sewing machines and cameras.
Musical instruments, including but not limited to:
Pianos and organs, violins, guitars, band instruments and talking machines (phonograph or record players).
Items for farms, such as:
tools, agricultural implements, more implements, farm wagons, harness, saddles, buggy and wagon parts.
Macy's mail order catalog, 1911
Find prices for clothing, jewelry, home furnishings, household items including appliances, guns and sporting goods and more. See index on page 456.

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Ladies:
stylish dresses, fine dresses, blouses, skirts, fancy hats, shoes, stockings, corsets, gowns, nightgowns, underwear, gloves, jewelry, handkerchiefs, knitting and needlework supplies, wallets and purses.
Men's:
Suits, vests, ties and collars, shirts, sweaters, hats, shoes, overcoats, night shirts and pajamas, underwear, hunting clothes, shaving supplies, pipes and smoking supplies, tobacco and cigars, pocket watches, umbrellas.
Children's and baby items:
Boy's clothes, boy's fine clothing, boy's pajamas, girl's clothing, children's hats, baby clothes, baby carriages, children's toys, dolls.
Household goods:
Clocks, living room furniture, chairs, tables, lamps, carpets and rugs, curtains, silverware, glassware, china and cutlery, kitchen pots and pans, beds, bed sheets, towels, refrigerators, cabinets, lawn mowers, garden tools.
Sporting goods:
Bicycles, baseball gloves, guns, fishing tackle, camping, tents, canoes and boats.
Gun prices, 1911
Extensive section on guns found in the Thomas J. Conroy Illustrated Catalog and Price List.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, 1912
Find a page number through the index and enter it in the "JUMP TO" box.
Lawrence, MA - Retail prices of clothing, dry goods, shoes, house furnishings, 1912
Tables show retail prices in Lawrence, MA in March 1912. Prices for clothing, dry goods and shoes are reported from 6 firms; prices for household furniture are from 2 firms.
Bloomingdale's mail order catalog, 1915
Shows mail order prices for a clothing, jewelry, home decor, linens and furnishings, musical instruments and more.
B. Altman & Co. - Clothing mail order catalog, 1915
New York-based clothing retailer. Shows prices of fashionable clothing for men, women and children. Excellent illustrations.
Sporting gear and clothing prices - 1916
Abercrombie & Fitch mail order catalog for Christmas, 1916.
Catalog of ladies' under garments, blouses, etc. - 1917
Catalog lists prices for ladies' underwear and nightgowns but also has some girls' and babies' clothes. Source: Newcomb, Endicott and Co. Magazine of Fashion, Undermuslin, 1917.
Average retail price of fabric in 45 cities - 1917
Includes calico, gingham, muslin, percale, flannel, etc. Scroll forward in the source to see the full list of cities.
Prices of sheets and blankets by U.S. city - 1917-1919
See price of sheets and blankets in Table G, spanning pages 449-461.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, 1918
Find a page number through the index and enter it in the "JUMP TO" box.
Average consumer expenditure for individual articles of clothing, 1918-1919
Check expenditure tables carefully for the column labeled "average expenditure per article" to get a rough figure on the amount paid for individual items. Note that Table C is divided by type of family member. Following "Husbands" comes Male Children 15 and older, then Male Children aged 12-15, then Male Children ages 8-12, etc. The section for clothing worn by wives starts on page 183, with female children clothing following, broken out by age groups. Time period for this study: July 1918-Feb 1919. Source: Cost of Living in the United States, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Farm implement prices, 1914-1918
Federal report shows average annual prices for plowshares, walking plows, hay loaders, cultivators, farm wagons, barbed wire, corn binders, mowers and more.
Prices of articles bought by farmers, 1909-1924
Tells 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. US Dept of Agriculture Yearbook gives price data for 1909, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922. Prices for 1923 and 1924 begin on page 1152.
New book prices, 1872-1922
Each issue of the serial publication Publishers' Weekly shows prices of newly published books, music, and periodicals in both the United States and abroad.
Click 'more...' below for issues from 1910-1919.

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- 1910: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1911: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1912: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1913: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1914: January-March, April-June, July-September 19, September 26-December
- 1915: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1916: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1917: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1918: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December
- 1919: January-March, April-June, July-December

PRICES for HOUSING and UTILITIES, 1910s

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Average rent by city, 1918-1919
Data is broken out by income of the renters. Data provided for both large cities and small towns (see list), with further breakouts for the number of rooms and number of occupants in the dwelling. Covers 1918-1919 only. Note: This is a long table; it will be necessary to scroll forward. Source: Cost of Living in the United States, BLS Bulletin #357.
"Building Plans of Modern Homes," with costs for materials and labor, 1914

Building Plans of Modern Homes, a Montgomery Ward catalog, 1914
Montgomery Ward building plan catalog includes estimated, itemized costs of materials and labor for about 80 homes generally in the 1-4 bedroom range, garages, summer cottages, carriage houses featuring horse stalls, and barns.
Home catalog - Montgomery Ward, 1916
The cost of materials for each home is printed in large type at the top of each page. Check under "General Specifications" for an estimated cost to build the home, which will include the cost of labor, brick, plaster, cement and other items not provided by Montgomery Ward. Note that plumbing and heating costs are listed separately as additional options.
Sears home plans with estimated costs to build, 1908-1939
The Sears Archive site has digitized some pages from their home plan catalogs. Selected entries in their list are clickable. Shows drawing of the home, floor plan, and estimated cost to build.
Cost to construct houses, by type of material - 1915
The Building Estimator's Reference Book gives detailed costs for the labor and materials for the construction of houses and office buildings.
Home modernization and upgrades, 1910-1911
The 1910 Sears catalog listed many items for outfitting and upgrading one's home, including telephones, gas lights and electric fixtures, furnaces, heaters, doors, roofing materials, indoor bathroom fixtures, kitchen stoves, gas ranges, refrigerators and washing machines. The 1911 Macy's catalog showed refrigerators as well.
Paint cost to cover a home's exterior, 1915
Sears Roebuck paint catalog gives an estimated cost to paint the exterior of various houses. There are more images at the end of their catalog. Elsewhere in the catalog, find Sears' prices for paint, painting supplies, wallpapering supplies, etc.
Price of farm land by county in selected states, 1912-1924
Tables 6-13 show farm land prices by county in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Texas.
Farm real estate values in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, 1912-2019
Shows average value per acre (statewide) for farm real estate including both land and buildings. Table shows price per acre for each year from 1912 to 2019. Compares the figures to the average for all other states.
Room and board rates for federal workers in Washington DC, 1917-18
Discusses the 1918 federal housing plan that provided housing for war industry workers, including women workers in the District of Columbia, who paid $45 per month for a room and two meals per day. Photos and further description of the buildings' interiors and exteriors were published in the Oct 1919 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Telephone service rates by city, 1912
The U. S. Census Bureau collected and reported telephone service rates. This link leads to an index by city and states. Note the page number and enter it in the "jump to" box in HathiTrust. Or simply scroll forward in the source. It may be necessary to use the zoom (+) feature to make the figures clearer.
Telephone service rates, 1914-1919
Issues of Telephone engineer & management detail rates for telephone service in many states. For example, the 1914 volume gives business and residential rates in Indianapolis, the cost of messages in Washington, and more. Tip: use the search tool to look for words like cents or rate.
Coal for household use - Price by city, 1913-1919
Shows retail prices by city for January and July of each year from 1913-1919. See Table E, pages 442-447. The source does not tell how much coal households typically used.
Lawrence, MA - Retail prices of fuel and kerosene, 1911-1912
Tables show retail prices of delivered fuel for November 1911 and March 1912 from two firms in Lawrence,MA. Price per gallon of kerosene is reported from 6 firms.

COST of HEALTH CARE, 1910s

Medical costs for influenza patients - 1918
Quote from a book on funeral costs: "Take the recent 'flu' epidemic with the short illnesses, sudden deaths, and short time at hospital: (1) ten days' illness, ten calls of physician, five days at hospital, approximate expense from $50 to $100; (2) or with pneumonia following: two weeks' sickness, twenty calls of physician, ten days at hospital, approximately from $100 to $200." Read further in this source for funeral and burial costs. Source: pages 37-38 in chapter titled "The Cost of Dying" in the book Funeral Management and Costs (1921).
Cost of hospitalization, 1913 and 1926
Tells average length of stay and average cost per day based on whether the patient was in a ward or a private room. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor.
Hospital rates at Stanford University, 1912-1919
The Annual Reports of Lane Hospital at Stanford University Hospitals show rates for wards, rooms, and bath rooms, maternity rates, operating room charges, anesthesia, tonsil and adenoid operations, salvarsan treatments, extra charges, extra diet items, nursing, and some include wines and mineral waters and toilet articles: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919 (also shows charges for X-Ray Department, lab work and physical therapy).
Cost of health care, hospitalization, nursing home care, etc. - 1919
In a chapter titled "The Cost of Dying" in the 1921 book Funeral Management and Costs, hospital room rates are listed. It mentions the fees charged by health care workers such as midwives and physicians. The rates for sanatoriums (medical facilities for patients with long-term illnesses) are also discussed.
Over-the-counter drug and remedy prices, 1910
Prices from the 1910 Sears Catalog. For similar items, see the Macy's catalog for 1911.
Health remedy prices, 1913
Article in Druggist's Circular lists retail prices for dozens of health/beauty products being sold in 1913 which were at best useless and at worst, harmful.
Health aids - Prices, 1910
This wheelchair was priced at $15.24 in 1911
(source: Macy's Catalog)

The 1910 Sears catalog offered wheelchairs, eyeglasses and spectacles, and equipment to help the hearing impaired. The 1911 Macy's catalog also sold wheelchairs.
Cost of doctor supplies - 1910s
Catalog and price list show an amazing range, from surgical tools all the way up to x-ray machines. Although this source does not show prices patients paid for health care, it does indicate overhead for health providers.
Cost of dying - Tombstone prices, 1910
Prices listed in the 1910 Sears Catalog.
Physicians fees in Indiana, 1911-1918
Shows the fee bill setting charges for medical services that was adopted by the Sullivan County Medical Society in 1911; also tells how it changes during and after the WWI.

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Source: A medical history of Sullivan county, Indiana, by James B. Maple, M.D. (1936). Not a government document.
Physicians fees in Ohio, 1916-17
Issues of The Ohio State medical journal report on the medical fees in different Ohio towns or counties:
- Office fees in Nelsonville and the fee bill of the Logan County Medical Society (July 1916 issue)
- Physicians fees in Preble County (Sept 1917 issue)
- The Industrial Committee's schedule of rates, a guide for determining amount of compensation allowed physicians in workmen's compensation cases (Dec 1917 issue)
Physicians fees in Illinois, 1912
This fee bill of the physicians of Putnam County, IL was published in the September 1912 issue of The Illinois medical journal; it lists prices of office, general, and obstetrical medical services.
Medical fees, 1912
The chapter "Medical Finance" on pages 111-137 in this guide to a successful medical practice detail medical fees for various services, including a schedule of rates allowed by insurance companies.

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Source: Building a profitable practice; being a text-book on medical economics by Thomas F. Reilly, M.S., M.D. (1912).

PRICES for SERVICES, 1910s

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Price of a haircut before, during and after WWI
This book on economics explains that haircuts were 25 cents for many years up until World War I. (Not a government source)
Cost to mail a letter or postcard, 1863-present
Source: the Historian of the U.S. Postal Service.
Cost to send an international message by cable - 1916
Cost to send a message from New York City to any of about 75 foreign countries, as reported in the American Whitaker Almanac and Encyclopedia.
Price of a newspaper subscription, 1869-1920
Look up by year, then state, then city, then title to find the cost of a newspaper subscription. Source: Rowell's & Ayer's American newspaper directories.
Cost of keeping farm horses and cost of horse labor, 1917
USDA Bulletin no. 560 shows the costs of keeping horses on a farm in 1917. Tables the cost of feed and of labor for horse care in New York, Illinois, and Ohio.

TRAVEL and TRANSPORTATION PRICES, 1910s

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Horse-drawn vehicles, harness and saddle prices, 1911
Illustrated 120-page price catalog shows buggies and carriages, wagons, harness and saddles, with shipping rates. Source: Delin Carriage Company catalog, 1911.
Horse-drawn buggy and carriage prices, 1912
Illustrated 170-page price catalog for horse-drawn vehicles, harness, and shipping rates. Source: Ohio Carriage Manufacturing Co. catalog, 1912.
Horse and carriage supplies price catalog, 1910
Source: Illustrated and descriptive catalog of saddlery, carriage and sleigh trimmings, general store supplies / the James Bailey Company.
Business wagon prices (horse-drawn), 1910
Delivery wagons were available through the Sears catalog company in 1910. Other horse-drawn vehicles were also available through Sears.
Horses and mules - Price per head, 1910 and 1920
Table shows the average value of horses and mules, and depreciation of value based on the horse's age. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

AUTOMOBILES

Automobile prices, 1910-1919
Use these quick links to the years 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 or 1919. The annual editions of Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles list prices, specifications and pictures of electric vehicles and gasoline powered cars - including Buick, Cadillac, Studebaker, Packard, Oldsmobile and more. See also this photo guide to the body types: roadster, coupe, cabriolet, limousine, touring car (phaeton), sedan and bus.
Automobile and motor truck 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 American made cars and imports such as Mercedes, Benz and Fiat. The explanation section is helpful. See separate sections for gasoline powered cars, electric pleasure vehicles, and commercial vehicles and trucks. This book lacks images of vehicles.
Car prices in "Pictorial History of the Automobile"
Narrative is arranged by make and model of car. Provides good representation for the cost of a new car from 1900 through the 1920s. Source: A Pictorial History of the Automobile as seen in Motor Magazine, commercially published 1953. This is not a government document.
Electric car prices, 1913
Source: The Automobile: A Journal of Automotive Progress and Construction, Jan 2 1913 issue, page 12.
Sears automobiles, 1910
One could order Sears Motor Cars Model H, J or L through the catalog company for $395-495, with optional add-ons.
Drivers license and car registration fees by state, 1911
This handy chart was compiled by one of the car manufacturing companies, Locomobile.

GASOLINE PRICES

Gasoline prices paid by farmers, 1910-1943
Under the heading "Supplies" in the table on page 21, this source shows the average gasoline price per gallon for 1910-1914 (five year average), 1919, 1929, 1939, and 1943.
Gasoline retail prices by city, reported weekly in 1918
Buying gasoline at a garage. Source:
The Horseless Age,
June 29, 1910
Tables show Standard Oil's price quotes for gasoline at filling stations in about 30 cities across the U.S. This link leads to April prices. Search in the full text for "Filling Station Gasoline Prices" for similar tables for other weeks in the year. Source: National Petroleum News
Gasoline tank wagon prices - 1915
Shows refinery prices and tank wagon prices for gasoline by region in 1915. Not necessarily the price paid by the consumer for small quantities. Also shows prices for fuel oil and kerosene. Source: Federal Trade Commission report.
Gasoline tank wagon price in Chicago, 1915-1922
Tank wagon prices are prices paid by distributors rather than end consumers. Although these are not retail prices, it does show time series price data for one place (Chicago) over seven years.
Wholesale prices of gasoline and crude petroleum, 1913-1918
Table shows wholesale prices of one gallon of gasoline from tank wagons in New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, and San Francisco by month and quarters for the years 1913 to 1918.

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Subsequent tables show wholesale prices of other petroleum products such as kerosene, lubricating oil, fuel oil, paraffin, and petrolatum. Source: War Industries Board Price Bulletin No. 36, 1919.

TRAIN FARE

Passenger train fare in the U.S., 1871-1933
Average railroad passenger fare (ticket price) expressed in cents per mile.
Railway passenger fare, 1894-1918
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 to San Francisco in 1915
Brochure shows round trip train fares to San Francisco from dozens of cities in AL,CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA,WV, and Canada. Source: Chicago & Northwestern RR Company.

STEAMSHIP FARE

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.
Steamship fares to Latin America, South America and Caribbean
Taken from section titled "Steamship fares and itineraries" in the 1920 U.S. Dept of Commerce publication "Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America." Fares show city of departure in the U.S. and port of arrival. Departure cities include New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Key West.

HOTEL RATES

Hotel rates - U.S. and Canada - up to 1912
Hotel Directory for Feb 1912 shows rates
Image credit
In each issue of Hotel Monthly up to 1912, there was a hotel directory for the U.S. and Canada; find it in the table of contents on the front cover of each issue and then type the page number in the "Jump to page..." box. The directories list hotels by state and then by city, and tell the daily rates for each.
Hotel Directory - U.S. and Canada - 1915
The John Willy Hotel Directory listed hotels and rates for the United States. Listing by state and then by city.
Hotel rates - U.S. towns - 1919
The Hotel Red Book lists hotel rates for large and even very small towns throughout the United States. Over 800 pages, the most comprehensive source we've seen. Tip: Use the index by state and country, or try entering the town name in the "Search in this text" box.
Hotel extras - Yellowstone National Park, 1912
Lists prices for baths, shaves, shampooing and haircuts at the hotel, as well as facials, massage, meals, room service, day trips, boat rides and more on pages 3-11.

LUGGAGE

Luggage prices, 1910-1911
Prices as shown in the 1910 Sears Catalog for suit cases, traveling bags and steamer trunks. The 1911 Macy's catalog also showed steamer trunks and suitcases.

COST OF COLLEGE or VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, 1910s

See tabs above for additional price categories

University tuition and fees, 1912-1913
Includes state universities and those which received some state funding, such as Cornell. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Purdue. Tuition and fees for each university are listed on pages 22-26.
University and junior college costs for residents and non-residents - 1918
Lists tuition prices for both residents and non residents as well as room and board costs and fees for institutions across the United States. The list runs from pp. 157-258. Source: Facilities for Foreign Students in American Colleges and Universities (published 1920)
Tuition and living expenses at college - 1915
Discusses college living expenses for foreign students attending college in the U.S. in 1915. Some of the expenses would be the same for foreign and in-state residents, such as room, board and transportation. Beginning on page 127, the source tells the tuition for various courses of study at each university, and usually will indicate the different costs between rates for in-state residents or out of state. Note that the tuition was higher to attend medical school, law school, and other professional majors. Source: "Opportunities for Foreign Students at Colleges and Universities in the United States," Bulletin #27 of the U.S. Bureau of Education,1915.
College tuition, room & board, books and fees by institution, 1912
Alphabetical list of colleges includes tuition, room & board, etc. This book also includes some chapters discussing typical jobs that college students might get and how much those jobs paid. See table of contents. This is not a government publication.
College textbook prices, 1916
Book shows textbook titles recommended for high schools and colleges and lists the full retail price for individual sale. Discounts were available for those who wished to purchase large quantities of a single tile.
Non-tuition expenses to attend college in California, ca. 1917
The state of California covered tuition to take teacher training, but other expenses ran around $500 per year according to this report from the CA Superintendent of Public Instruction report for 1917-1918.
Cost to attend private commercial or business schools, 1917-1918
Tuition fees to learn secretary skills, bookkeeping, accountancy, stenography, wire telegraphy and salesmanship.
Nursing School tuition, 1916-1918
Less than 3% of all nurse training schools charged tuition. Instead, the students took courses and worked in hospitals, most being paid a low (student) wage for performing the work. Tuition and student remuneration are listed by state, city and individual teaching hospital beginning on page 53.
Nursing School tuition, 1918-1920
Less than 3% of all nurse training schools charged tuition. Instead, the students took courses and worked in hospitals, most being paid a low (student) wage for performing the work. This report contains summaries by states, but no detailed statistics of individual schools. The table showing average wages paid to first year, second year and third year students by state begins on page 17.
Tuition for Law, Medical and Dental schools, 1916-1918
Figure 17 in the U.S. Biennial Survey of Education shows the number of professional schools charging tuition in certain ranges, for example, most medical schools charged between $100-109 for tuition in the late 1910s.

Cost of Living / Expenditures Analysis - 1910s

Changes in cost of living in large cities of the United States, 1913-1941
This document looks only at whether the cost of living was going up or down for families, in relative terms. It compares the affordability of food and consumer goods from one year to the next and provides price indexes but not actual prices. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 699
Amount paid for housing, food, fuel, power, and misc items - late 1910s to early 1920s
Link goes to a Table of Contents page for BLS publication "Cost of Living in the United States." Navigate to a chapter by noting the page number in the table of contents, and enter that page number in the page navigation box.
Workingmen's standard of living in Philadelphia - 1918
Reports the income, expenditures, and standard of living for 395 families. Study conducted by the city of Philadelphia.
Coal for household use - Price by city, 1913-1919
Shows retail prices by city for January and July of each year from 1913-1919. See Table E, pages 442-447. The source does not tell how much coal households typically used.
Cost to run a farm in North Dakota, 1910
Shows the what it might cost to acquire a 320 acre wheat farm and run it for a year, listing the cost of each essential agricultural implement, seed, eight horses, a buggy and two wagons, as well as typical amounts expended on farm help (wages and board), equipment repairs and maintenance, taxes, etc.

Buying power of historic wages expressed in today's dollars

Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator
This calculator allows you to compare the buying power of wages earned at different points in history. For example, a dollar earned in 2016 had the same buying power as 4 cents in 1913. Conversely, a dollar earned in 1913 had the same buying power as $24.24 in the year 2016.

Analysis - Prices in the 1910s

Wholesale prices - Price Bulletin series showing the History of Prices During the War
Issued by the War Industries Board in 1919, these bulletins include wholesale prices (by month, quarter, and year) of foods, clothing, rubber, paper, fibers, metals, fuels, building materials, and chemicals for 1913 to 1918. A list of each title by bulletin number can be seen here.

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Bulletin number 1 shows index numbers of 50 classes of commodities while numbers 4-7 show index numbers of foods, clothing, building materials, and chemicals. Bulletin number 2 compares international prices and number 3 discusses government control over prices. Bulletin numbers 8-57 show wholesale prices for products by type.

Prices in Foreign Countries, 1910-1919

Sources showing prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1910s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

Retail food prices around the world, 1900 and 1910
All prices listed in dollars. Tables on pages 43-52 list the retail prices of flour, butter, bacon, beef, mutton, ham, sugar and coffee in selected cities in the U.S., Austria, Canada, Nova Scotia, England, Germany, France, Russia, Bulgaria, Japan, Mexico
Wages and Prices Abroad, 1900 and 1910
Reports from consular offices show wholesale and retail prices for a variety of foods, clothing, agricultural products such as wool and hides and more in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Japan, Belgium, Spain and more. Also discusses the the cost to rent in various countries.
Foreign food prices as affected by the war
Provides retail food prices in many countries in 1914 and in the years leading up to the war outbreak. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 170, published May 1915.
Percent increase in food prices in foreign countries, 1914-1921
Shows prices indexes, not actual retail prices. Here you can find the percent of increase in average food prices from 1914-1921. Includes data for the countries of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Noway, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Source: International Labour Review, Feb 1921.
Monthly wholesale prices of commodities by country, 1913-1918
Note that this source lists wholesale (not retail) prices. Includes items such as roofing shingles, raw products needed for manufacturing, timber, gasoline, illuminating oil, olive oil, coffee, eggs, grains, Japanese sake and more. Extensive tables span pages 56-375; check table of contents for page numbers: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, India, Australia, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Argentina. Source: International Price Comparisons U.S. War Industries Board Price Bulletin #2, published 1919.

Prices in ARGENTINA, 1910s

Buenos Aries - Prices and rent in 1910
This report lists the March 1910 retail prices of mutton, beef, veal, butter, eggs, pork and ham in Buenos Aries and tells what a laborer paid for a room in 1910. Additional tables compare 1900 and 1910 retail and wholesale prices, including food items, building materials, and coal.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1398-1401.

Prices in AUSTRIA, 1910s

Prices at Vienna and Prague, 1900 and 1910
Tables show wholesale and retail prices (in dollars) of commodities at Vienna and Prague in the years 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1231-1233,

Prices in CANADA, 1910s

Canada - Prices of staple foods, fuel and rent in 1913, 1920-1927
Expressed in dollars. Source: Statistics Canada.
Windsor, Ontario - Food prices for 1910
Table compares prices of food products in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario as taken from newspaper advertisements from February 25, 1910. Source: Serial Set Volume 5645.
Nova Scotia - Prices of foodstuffs, rent and board, fuel, and cottons
This table, published in 1911, shows prices of foodstuffs and other necessaries such as house rent, fuel, and cottons in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1409.
Canada - Retail prices of staple commodities
This series of tables shows retail prices of staple commodities and rents per month by locality (each table spans multiple pages, scroll forward to see the rest)
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Commodities include beef, pork, eggs, butter, bread, flour, oats, rice, beans, apples, prunes, sugar, tea, coffee, potatoes, starch, coal, wood, and coal oil.
Source: Labour Gazette Volume 10.

Prices in FRANCE, 1910s

Prices of agricultural machinery in France, 1900 and 1910
Table shows the price of imported and French made agricultural machinery for 1900 and 1910, including mowers, reapers, binders, hay rakes, and tedders.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1222.
Bordeaux - 1910 prices and rents
Two-page table shows wholesale and retail prices at Bordeaux. Rents per annum also listed.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1387-1388.
Bordeaux, France - Retail prices of necessaries of life, 1911
Table compares the price of beer, borax, cheese, chocolate, coffee, crackers, flour, mustard, peas, starch, and vinegar at a retail store versus at a cooperative society.
Havre - Prices for articles of daily consumption, 1900 and 1910
This one-page table shows wholesale and retail prices of articles at Havre, France in 1900 and 1910. It includes "articles of daily household consumption" such as food and fuel as well as for animals, metals, fabric, building materials, and clothing.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1304.
Lyons - Prices of principal commodities, 1900 and 1910
Table compares 1900 and 1910 retail prices at Lyons, including meats, flours, cereals, bread, alimentary pastes, fruits, vegetables, sugar, coffee, cocoa, pepper, salts, food oils, poultry, milk, boots and shoes, coal, mineral oils, seeds, and soaps.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1392-1393.
Marseille - Average retail prices, 1900 and 1910
Table shows the average retail prices at Marseille in the months of January and February, 1910, and during the year 1900. Includes meat, bread, butter, sugar, milk, potatoes, grain, flour, lard, tallow, bacon, rents, cotton, wool, leather, boots and shoes, clothing, coal, iron, steel, oil, bricks, cement, and farming implements.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1230-1231.
Paris - Food prices and Rents - 1910
This list of retail prices of food materials from March 10, 1910 also includes shoes, suits, shirts, chemises, underwear, socks and blankets. A discussion on rents in Paris follows on the next page.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3 (1911), pages 1223-1224.

Prices in GERMANY, 1910s

Berlin - Prices of commodities, 1900 and 1910
Wholesale and retail prices (in dollars) in Berlin for 1900 and 1910. A table of rents based on number of heatable rooms follows.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3 (1911), pages 1235-1237.
Frankfort on the Main - Retail prices and rents, 1900 and 1910
Includes a table of average retail prices and a discussion of prices or meats, fish and poultry. Average rent is also given.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1396-1397.
Hamburg - Various prices, 1900 and 1910
Gives wholesale and retail prices (in marks) of petroleum, coal, bricks, Portland cement, shoes, clothing, meat, and agricultural implements at Hamburg in 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1287-1288.
Hamburg, Germany - Retail prices of food products, 1911
Tables compare retail prices of food products in an ordinary retail establishment versus in cooperative stores (prices collected on November 24, 1911). Prices for fish can be found on page 47.
Munich, Bavaria - Retail prices and rents, 1900 and 1910
Tables show retail prices of meat, various other food items, and average yearly rentals by number of rooms at Munich for 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1394.

Prices in GREAT BRITAIN, 1910s

United Kingdom - Retail prices, wages and cost of living in 1912
Data covers industrial towns in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Source: Cost of living of the working classes. Report of an enquiry by the Board of Trade into working-class rents and retail prices together with the rates of wages in certain occupations in industrial towns of the United Kingdom in 1912.
England - Prices and earnings, 1914
Oxford pamphlet compares the cost of rent, household fuels and various sorts of foods both before WWI and in 1914 for three categories of English families: London poor, labourers in provincial towns and artisans in provincial towns. Written by a professor of statistics, this is not a government document.
Great Britain - Retail prices in 1914 and 1919
Shows average price of bread, meats, fish, eggs, milk, flour, cheese, potatoes, butter, tea, etc. Source: Ministry of Labour Gazette, published in London by the Labour Dept of the British Board of Trade. Similar reports are available in issues from other years.
Great Britain - Price of Bread, 1914-1916
Simple table shows the price of a 4 lb. loaf of bread in the various districts of England, Scotland and Wales for each year from 1914-1916.
Mail order catalog with prices, 1913
William Whitely Ltd. produced a 642-page mail order catalog in 1913, with a service area covering the full UK. This catalog is well illustrated and shows prices in English money. Includes merchandise of all kinds. Quickly find page number for any item using the index.

Hats for women and hats for men
Ladies' nightdresses and men's pyjamas
Men's raincoats
Corsets
Trousseaux
Jewelry
School boys' clothing
Boots and shoes
Sportswear for fishing
Mourning clothes and funeral supplies
Nurse uniforms
Perfume
Haircuts and styling services for ladies; hairpieces and wigs; hair ornaments
Yarn, crochet and embroidery supplies
Heath support
- Health supplies, pp. 184-189
- Drugs, pp 194-197
- Patent medicines, pp. 197-208
- Medicinal tonics, pp. 217-220

Birmingham - Prices in 1900-1901, 1903-1904, & 1910
This report shows wholesale and retail prices of various commodities as well as rents and boots, shoes and clothing in Birmingham, England.

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Commodities included are
Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1182-1197.
Bradford, England - Wholesale and retail prices of various commodities, 1900 and 1910
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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1353-1368.
Edinburgh - Wholesale and retail prices in 1900 and 1910
Report shows the following prices at Edinburgh:
- Prices of American agricultural implements
- Prices of shoes - Table shows wholesale and retail prices of British made men's shoes in 1900 and 1910.
- House rents - For villas and flats by number of rooms and distance from post-office.
- Commodities - Two-page table includes prices of cattle, sheep, pigs, coal, wool, grain, woolen cloth, clothing, provisions, and rents.
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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1383-1386
Glasgow, Scotland - Prices of commodities in 1900 and 1910
Table shows wholesale and retail prices of commodities at Glasgow in 1900 and 1910. Includes vegetables, live stock, grain, raw material, wearing apparel, underwear, coal, iron, groceries and provisions, steel, brick, timber, cement, and house rent.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1276.
Hull - Price comparison of a retail grocer and a cooperative store, 1911
Shows April 25th prices for ham, lard, baking powder, marmalade, lump sugar, flour, lemon peel, ground rice, apricots (tinned), wax candles, and Quaker oats.

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Source: Cooperation and cost of living in certain foreign countries (Serial Set Volume 6184)
Liverpool - Prices in 1900 and 1910
This report contains tables showing wholesale and retail prices in Liverpool in 1900 and 1910. It also discusses clothing and rents.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1200-1209.
London - Wholesale and retail prices, 1900 and 1910
Tables in this report give retail prices (in dollars) for commodities in London for 1900, 1910, or both, including meat, grains, provisions, fruit and vegetables, Portland cement, boots and shoes (for infants, children, boys, girls, men, and ladies), clothing (first-grade and cheaper grade), overcoats, coal, oil, and farming implements of both American and English make. Rents are also discussed on pages 1166 to 1169.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1162-1174.
London - Retail prices of ready-made clothing in 1910
in Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1370.
Manchester - Rents, 1900 and 1910
In Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1267.
Manchester - Retail prices, 1900 and 1910
This two-page table shows retail prices of articles (in dollars) at Manchester in 1900 and 1910. Includes food, coal, clothing, boots and shoes.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1272-1273.
Manchester - Prices for agricultural implements, 1900 and 1910
Table shows prices for agricultural implements as sold in Manchester in 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1271.
Sheffield, England - Prices of commodities, 1900 and 1910
Lists wholesale and retail prices (in British pounds and American dollars) of commodities in Sheffield for 1900 and 1910.

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Includes beef, hogs, sheep, cattle, meats and provisions, grain, hides, boots and shoes, men's underwear, coal, iron, steel, oil, petroleum, linseed oil, farming implements, and brick. Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1180-1181.

Prices in HUNGARY, 1910s

Budapest - Prices of commodities and Rents, 1900 and 1910
Table compares 1900 and 1910 wholesale and retail prices at Budapest for commodities (beer, veal, hogs, mutton, milk, butter, flour, eggs, wheat, cattle, wool, cotton, leather, hides, clothing, lumber, coat, cement, shoes, bricks) and yearly rents by number of rooms.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1397.

Prices in INDIA, 1910s

India - Retail prices for food grains and salt, 1892-1916
Use Table of Contents to find start page. For example the salt prices begin on page 140. Source: Prices and Wages in India, published by the India government, Department of Statistics, 1918.

Prices in IRELAND, 1910s

Ireland - Retail prices, 1914 and 1922
Shows prices in shillings and pence for various food items; articles of clothing for men, women, boys and girls; fuel for heating and cooking; soap, tobacco and cigarettes. Source: Report on the Cost of Living in Ireland, pages 7-9. Elsewhere in the same volume, find average rents and typical family budgets.
Ireland - Prices, 1900 and 1910
U.S. congressional document shows the price of foods such as potatoes, oatmeal, flour, mutton, butter, cheese, eggs, ham and beef, as well as "a suit of woolen clothing" and boots/shoes; coal, fuel oil, and farming implements such as plows, binders and two-horse mowers.

Prices in JAPAN, 1910s

Prices in Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan - 1910
Tables shows retail prices (in dollars) for 1910 along with wholesale prices for 1900 and 1910 in both Yokohama and Tokyo. Includes beef, pork, fish, rice, wheat, flour, soja beans, barley, eggs, soy sauce, cotton, wool, leather, boots, shoes, lumber, coal, iron, petroleum, brick, salt, sugar, tea, milk, and rent.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1217.

Prices in MEXICO, 1910s

Prices of clothing in Mexico City in 1910
In Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1312.
Guadalajara - Price of beef, pork, and potatoes in 1910
List shows 1910 prices per kilo of beef, pork, and potatoes in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, page 1316.
Veracruz - Prices of commodities and rent, 1910
This three-page report gives prices (in U.C. currency) of commodities, foodstuffs, and rents at Veracruz in 1910.

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Full list of articles included: beef, grain, firewood, clothing, steel, farming implements, hogs, provisions, ice, hides, lumber, petroleum, sheep, rents, leather, coal, bricks, iron, cement, cotton, boot and shoes.
Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1318-1320.
Mazatlan, Sinaloa - Prices in 1910
A brief report of prices (wholesale and retail) at Mazatlan in 1910 including beef, clothing, hogs, kerosene of coal oil, leather, boots and shoes.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1321-1322.

Prices in POLAND, 1910s

Warsaw - Prices of articles in 1900 and 1910
Table shows comparative prices (wholesale and retail) at Warsaw in 1900 and 1910. Retail prices shown include beef, meats, provisions, bread, leather shoes and clothing, and coal. Prices of faming implements are also given.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1278-1279.

Prices in RUSSIA, 1910s

St. Petersburg - Prices of commodities, 1900 and 1910
This two-page table shows wholesale and retail prices of commodities (mostly food) at St. Petersburg in 1900 and 1910.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1305-1306.
Odessa - House rents and prices of provisions, 1910
This 1910 report on the cost of living at Odessa, Russia gives house rents and the prices of provisions.
Moscow - Retail prices, 1900 and 1910
This four-page table compares wholesale and retail prices of articles at Moscow in 1900 and 1910, including beef, veal, pork, ham, mutton, fat, fish, eggs, butter, sugar, potatoes, poultry, bread, woolen goods, clothing, and coal.

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Source: Investigation relative to wages and prices of commodities Vol. 3, pages 1308-1311.