Prices and Wages by Decade: 1920-1929

B

• Barbers and hairdressers - Earnings, 1929
  • From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 372.
• Baseball, major league - Player and umpire salaries, 1929
  • From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 281-282
• Blood donor earnings, 1929
  • Before laws restricted blood sales, hospitals were known to pay donors $35-50 for one quart.  See  "Blood donation" listed in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 392.
• Building/construction trades
  • Union wages in construction trades, 1913-1930
    • 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. Arranged by occupation and then by city and year. See also "C" tab above for carpenters, cement workers, etc.

• Carpenter wages, 1920s
  • Union carpenter wages in selected cities for 1924-1925
  • Average hourly carpenter wage in U.S. for 1926.  Compares the U.S. average to other countries.
  • Carpenter wages for 1920-1928 for twelve major U.S. cities. Source: History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928,  pp. 165-167.
• Cement industry job wages and hours, 1929
  • Average earnings by occupation and districts. Source: BLS Bulletin no. 525.
• Coal mining jobs - Hours and earnings, 1919-1933
• Coal mining wages by state, 1923 
  • Source: Miners' wages and the cost of coal: an inquiry into the wages system..., pp. 294-295.
• Coal mining jobs in Illinois, 1920
  • Shows the changes in wages of united Illinois coal miners following a labor agreement. Source: BLS Monthly Labor Review, Dec 1920
• Convict labor in 1923 - Compensation 
  • About half of the surveyed penal institutions gave prisoners some compensation, based on its use as incentive toward good work and better behavior, and to provide the convict with a small way to provide for his family.

D

• Dentists' income, 1929-1948
  • Includes breakouts by state, source of income, and more. Source: Survey of Current Business, Jan 1950, pp. 8-16.
• Domestic (household) service - Male workers' wages
  • Median wages for butlers, chauffeurs, gardeners, furnace men and "house men" employed to work in private households in Philadelphia in the late 1920s.

E

• Education
  • Teachers and principals' salaries by city, 1921-1922 
    • Covers elementary schools and junior high schools in American cities with populations of 2,500 or more.
  • Teachers' salaries in 1922-1923
    • Source: Teachers' salaries and salary trends in 1923.  Source: National Education Association of the United States.
  • Teachers' salaries by school level, 1923 
    • Covers elementary, junior high, and high school teachers in American cities with populations of 2,500 or more. 
  • School personnel salaries by sex in selected cities, 1926 
    • Salary data for teachers, principals and school administrators in New York City, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City,
  • Teacher's salaries by school level, 1924-1928 
    • Shows salaries for teachers of kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, high school, vocational school, college, and normal schools (teacher training academies).
• Education job salaries by state
  • Illinois teachers salaries in high schools, 1920-1921
    • Lengthy article reports how much educators earned in Illinois' high schools in 1920-1921.
  • New York state teachers' salaries, 1920-1932 
    • Table 41 in this source shows the average salary for all teachers in elementary and secondary schools in New York state, not including NYC. Some New York City teacher and principal salaries are shown on the following page in Table 42.
  • North Carolina teacher salaries by race, 1922 
    • Salary scale for white teachers begins here. Section titled Salary Scale for Colored Teachers is on the last page.
  • Texas school personnel salaries (white only), 1872-1953 
    • Shows annual salaries for all school personnel in Texas without breakouts for occupation, years of training, years of experience, etc.
• Elevator operator, 1929 - Salary, 1929
  • From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 169.
• Engineers' earnings, 1929-1934 
  • Shows forty pages of income data with numerous breakouts.  Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin #682, chapter 9: "Monthly earnings of professional engineers," pp. 162-207.
• Executive salaries in private businesses, 1924
  • This source lists actual salaries paid to administrators in various lines of business. Source: Study of salaries paid to key executives..., 1924.

F

• Firemen and fire department salaries by city, 1927 
  • Shows firemen salaries for 25 American cities including New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City and more. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set Vol. No. 8836.
• Fire department salaries
  • Compensation by job title for New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco and more cities.  Starts on p. 44.
• Fishing occupation earnings, 1929
  • Includes clam, lobster, oyster industries and more.  From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 4-6.
• Foundry and machine shop jobs - Wages and hours, 1923-1931
  • ​​​​​​​Wages of pattern makers, molders, drill press operators, lathe hands, machinists and more.  Source: BLS Bulletins.

G

• Government, federal
  • Administrative and supervisors pay in federal government, 1926 
    • Lists annual pay for individuals occupying administrative and supervisory positions in the executive and judicial branches.  Source: Official register of the United States, 1926.
  • 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.
• Government, state and local
  • State employee pay, 1925-1928 
    • Shows average public employee pay for each state. Source: National Municipal Review, January 1932 issue.
  • 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.
  • Pennsylvania, 1928 
    • Shows salaries at the state, county and city levels. Source: Report of the Salary survey commission to the Pennsylvania General assembly, 1929.
  • New Haven Connecticut, 1920 and 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.  Use the search function to find salaries for these occupations, or contact us for assistance.

I-L

• Iron and steel industry wages and hours, 1907-193
• Journalist wages, 1929
  • From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 307.
• Judge's pay in federal courts - 1926 
  • Shows annual compensation for judges on the U.S. Supreme Court, circuit courts and district courts. Also tells pay for court clerks and marshals. Note - this source tells what each individual person was paid, not the overall averages. Source: Official register of the United States (1926) p. 131.
• Lawyers' income, 1929-1948 
  • Shows lawyers' incomes in states and regions, by size of community served, by the age of the lawyer, number of years in practice, etc. Source: "Income of Lawyers, 1929-1948" in the August 1949 issue of Survey of Current Business.
• Logger pay, 1929
  • From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 10-12.
• Lumber industry job wages and hours, 1921-1932

• Manufacturing wages -- SEE box further below.
• Military pay for officers on active duty - 1926 
  • Shows pay tables based on years of service, for Army and Navy generals, admirals, colonels, lieutenants, captains, ensigns, etc.  Source: Appendix in Official register of the United States, 1926.
• Military pay charts (US), 1908-present 
  • This website does a good job of organizing a complex topic.
• Military salaries (US), 1929 in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source)
  • Army, pp. 409-411.  
  • Coast Guard, pp. 414-415
  • Marine pay scales were the same as the Army's.
  • Navy, pp. 405-406
• Minister, Protestant - Salary in 1929
  • Pay shown in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 286.
• Mining
  • Mining metals - Wages and hours, 1924 and 1931 
    • BLS Bulletin no. 573.
  • Mining - anthracite and bituminous coal, 1922 and 1924 
    • Shows mining wages in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Wages on pages 34-40.
  • Metalliferous mining job wages and hours, 1924 
    • BLS Bulletin no. 394.
• Motion picture production salaries, 1929
  • Typical compensation for directors, camera men, editors and more in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 270-274.
• Musician pay in 1929 according to the Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source)
  • Vaudeville musicians working in the orchestra pit could generally earn $50-$150 per week, p. 254.
  • Pianists and organists playing at motion picture or vaudeville shows could earn $35-$90 per week, p. 253.
  • Organ grinders' earnings discussed on p. 255.
  • Symphony orchestra musicians could earn $75 per week, p. 253.

N

• Newspaper occupations - Wages, 1929
  • Shows typical earnings for reporters, feature writers, sports editors and others, in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 307-309
• Nursing - Average salaries for public health and institutional nurses, 1927 
  • Shows data on the number of nursing school graduates from 1880 to 1929 as well as salary information. Source: Nurses: Production, education, distribution and pay.

O

• Optometrists - Income, 1929 
  • Source: Chapter 11 in Optometry: professional, economic and legal aspects, published 1948.
• Osteopath physicians - Earnings, 1929
  • in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 321.

P

• Petroleum industry - Wages by occupation and state, 1920 
  • Shows wages, hours and earnings for mechanics, pipe fitters, welders, tinsmiths derrick men, drillers, firemen, engineers and more.   Source: BLS Bulletin no. 297.
• Police officers and personnel - Salaries, 1924
  •  Shows data for Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and other additional cities on pages 5-9. Separate listings for inspectors, police superintendents, captains, sergeants, privates, etc. Source: Congressional hearing.
• Police departments - Salaries, 1927
  • Shows salaries for seven occupations in police departments of 25 American cities.  Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set vol. 8836.

R

• Radio announcer salary, 1929 
  • Broadcasting jobs described in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), p. 275
• Railroad employee wages
  • 1920-1921 
    • Shows wage rates for engineers, conductors, passenger baggage men, coal passers, firemen, switch tenders, hostlers, signalmen, station agents, telegraphers, machinists, car cleaners, and more. Source: Monthly Labor Review, April 1922, pp. 82-85.
  • 1922 
    • Compares 1922 to 1940 wage rates for a variety of RR jobs, pp. 7-8 in: Wages and labor relations in the railroad industry 1900-1941.
  • 1914-1923 
    • Source: Wages, hours and employment of railroad workers published by the National Industrial Conference Board.
  • Pennsylvania Railroad Wage Data, 1927 
    • Extensive, 219-page report published in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin no. 514.
• Religious organizations - Salaries, 1929 in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source)
  • Catholic priest, p. 287
  • Hebrew teacher, p. 288
  • Protestant minister or rector, p. 286
  • Rabbi, p. 288
• Retail shop employees - Chain store wages, 1929
  • Table shows average 1929 and 1931 weekly wages of full-time store employees, managers, and supervisors by kind and size of chain and location. Source: Chain Stores (Serial Set 9783).

S

• Seamen and firemen on ocean ships - Wages, 1914-1918 
  • Shows monthly wages based on the ocean routes traveled: San Francisco to points west, and New York City to points south and east.
• Slaughtering and meat-packing industry, 1921-1929 
  • Data is broken out by occupation, sex and district.
• Street laborers (unskilled) - Wages and hours, 1928 
  • Unskilled labor hired by cities for construction, repair or cleaning of streets. Taken from Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 484

T

• Teacher salaries
  • 1921-1922
    • Teacher salaries for elementary school, junior high school and high school by size of city. Scroll forward for additional tables. Source: U.S. Bureau of Education City School Leaflet #1.
  • 1929
    • Teacher salaries from nursery school up to high school, college professors and more in Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 298-301.
• Telegraph and cable industry - wages and salaries, 1922 
  •  Shows salaries for officers, managers, clerks, operators, etc. Source: National Wealth and Income.
• Telephone industry - average compensation per employee, 1922 
  • Shows salaries for officers, managers, clerks, operators, etc.  Source: National Wealth and Income, p. 300.
• Theatrical occupations in NYC, 1928-1929 
  • 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, scene painters, stage hands, etc. Source: The Business of the Theater, pp. 199-203.
• Theatrical production occupations, 1929 
  • Shows pay for state carpenters, stage electricians, props men, show directors, agents, ushers and more.  From Manual of Occupations by R. Platt (source), pp. 264-268.  Also click on the "A" tab above to see actor's pay.

V

• Veterinarian's pay - 1920s
  • Earnings for veterinarians with government jobs, in scientific labs, in sales, or working as inspectors, instructors, state veterinarians, etc. are listed in "The Veterinary Profession" article published in the March 1921 Ohio State University Bulletin, pp. 7-11. 
  • Typical fees charged for veterinary visits are described in the article "Business Methods in Country Practice" published in the Oct 1922 Cornell Veterinarian, p. 300.
  • See 1926 annual salaries for individual veterinarians employed by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Industry and stationed anywhere in the United States. It will be necessary to scroll forward in this source and browse the job titles. This source does not show averaged figures.

WAGES in AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in AIRPLANE and AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in CLOTHING MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in TEXTILE MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in FURNITURE MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in PAPER and PULP MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WAGES in POTTERY MANUFACTURING, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in ALABAMA, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in ARKANSAS, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in WASHINGTON DC, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in ILLINOIS, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in KANSAS, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in KENTUCKY, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in MISSOURI, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in OHIO, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in NEW JERSEY, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in PENNSYLVANIA, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in SOUTH CAROLINA, 1920s

WOMEN'S WAGES in TENNESSEE, 1920s

Wages in ARGENTINA, 1920s

WAGES in AUSTRALIA, 1920s

WAGES in AUSTRIA, 1920s

Wages in CANADA, 1920s

WAGES in CHILE, 1920s

WAGES in CHINA, 1920s

WAGES in FRANCE, 1920s

Wages in GERMANY, 1920s

Wages in GREAT BRITAIN, 1920s

Wages in MEXICO, 1920s

Wages in SOUTH AFRICA, 1920s

Wages in the SOVIET UNION, 1920s

Wages in NEW ZEALAND, 1920s

PRICES for MERCHANDISE, 1920s

PRICES for HOUSING, 1920s

HOME PLANS with ESTIMATED COSTS

Important note: Some of these home plan catalogs estimate only the cost of materials based on prices in a particular market (such as Chicago).  The ones that do include labor costs generally add disclaimers based on fluctuating rates. The front matter of each catalog usually includes some explanation.

COST of CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS and LABOR

FARMS and LAND PRICES

HOUSEHOLD UTILITIES

PRICES for HEALTH CARE, 1920s

MEDICINE PRICES

PRICES for SERVICES, 1920s

See transportation prices below.

COLLEGE EDUCATION, 1920s

In the 1920s decade, 8% to 12% of people aged 18-21 enrolled in college. Source: U.S. Bureau of Education.

• Average service station price of gasoline, 1922-1931
  Average price across 50 American cities, excluding tax. Source: Congressional petroleum investigation, 1934.
• Gasoline prices paid by farmers, 1929
  See price under the heading "Supplies" in the table on p. 21.
• Retail gasoline price and gas taxes, 1919-1938
  Shows monthly price and tax data for a group of 50 U.S. cities. See chart on p. 284 of source.
• Gasoline - Retail prices in Minneapolis and St. Paul, 1926-1929
  Article discusses a gasoline price war in the twin cities in the late 1920s. Retail prices might normally have been 20-23 cents per gallon, but had slipped down to 14 cents at times. Source: National Petroleum News June 12, 1929, p. 93.
• Gasoline - Tank wagon price in nine U.S. cities, 1922-1923
  Shows tank wagon prices in MI, IL, IN, IA, MO, KS, MN and WI. Additional detail is available for Milwaukee. Note that a markup of a few cents would be charged if gasoline was purchased at a filling station. Source: Congressional hearing: High cost of gasoline and other petroleum products, 1923. A corroborating newspaper article dated in 1923 indicates that those who could buy at least 50 gallons could purchase at the wholesale price, generally 3 cents less than retail.
• Gasoline storage tank for home use, 1920
  Price of a gasoline storage tank for the home, as shown in the 1920 Montgomery Ward catalog.

• Horse-drawn carriages, buggies and accessories, 1920
  Prices of buggies, road carts and other horse-drawn carriages, as well as harness, and saddles in the 1920 Montgomery Ward catalog.
• Horse and mule prices by state, 1919-1920
  Average price per head in the USDA Yearbook, 1919 edition, p. 654.

Public transit fares

• City transit fares in NY, PA, OH and MA - 1927
  Shows public transportation fares in 12 cities including NYC, Boston and Philadelphia. Chart on p. 48 shows average weekly expenditure on transportation to work. Source: Cost of living in twelve industrial cities, p. 44.

Railroad fares and dining car prices

• Passenger train fare in the U.S., 1871-1933
  Average railroad passenger fare (ticket price) expressed in cents per mile.
• Railroad passenger ticket prices, 1923
  5-page chart shows exact passenger fare for travel between 22 of the largest U.S. cities and hundreds of smaller towns. Also shows lower berth sleeping car rates. Source: Travel book and hotel directory, 1923, pp. i-v.
• RR ticket prices between NYC and Chicago, 1910-1944
  Source: Association of American Railroads' Passenger traffic study, p. 395.
• Bus and railway fares, compared - 1920s
  "Since July 1920, railroad passenger fares have generally been on the basis of 3.6 cents per mile throughout the country," with extra charges for parlor or sleeping car accommodations (p. 30). See exact fares for selected bus and railroad routes in the narrative spanning pages 28-32 of this publication. Source: 1932 Report to the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission.
• Railroad dining car menu prices, 1920s 
  • 1920: San Francisco Overland Ltd Railroad - breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus
  • 1921: New York Central Railroad Company dinner menu
  • 1921: Canadian Pacific Railroad - sandwich menu, mid day ala carte menu
  • 1925: San Francisco Overland Limited dinner menu
  • 1927: Chicago & North Western Railway breakfast menu
  • 1927: New York Central Lines dinner menu
  • 1928: New York, New Haven, And Hartford Railroad dinner menu

Steamship fares

• Great Lakes, 1921-1922
  Service between Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Toledo, etc. Source: Central states guide, pp.276-278.
• To China, 1926
  Fares from Seattle and San Francisco to Asia in Commercial travelers' guide to the Far East published 1926 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, p. 69-71.
• To Latin America - 1920
  The "Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America" (1922, U.S. Dept of Commerce) lists one-way, first class steamship fares from New York to Caribbean islands, Mexico, and Central and South American countries. Also shows some fares originating from New Orleans and San Francisco. Fares are listed on pages 30-43; taxes on page 44. The guide advises the traveler to always seek first class accommodation.

More passenger air fares from other sources:

Find domestic and intl. fares in timetables

• United States
  • Cleveland to Detroit on an Aeromarine flying boat
    • 1922 - Roundtrip cost $75.  Source: Aviation Sep 4, 1922 issue, p. 287.
• Europe 
  • London to Paris
    • 1920 - One-way cost £15 15 shillings, or £30 10 shillings for round trip. Source: Aircraft Journal, July 5, 1920, p. 9.
    • 1922 - One-way cost $21, "not quite double 1st class fare by train and boat."  Source: Aviation magazine, Jan 2, 1922, p. 14.
  • London to Berlin
    • 1923 - One-way air fare cost $30 (four cents per mile). The trip was 750 miles and took eight hours.  Source: Aviation magazine, June 4, 1923, p. 608.
       

• Hotel rates, 1920
  Contact us for 1928 hotel rates
• Shows hotel rates, arranged by state and town. Source: Official Hotel Red Book and Directory
• Hotel rates in the U.S. and Canada, 1923 Lists the minimum rate charged by each hotel. Source: Travel book and hotel directory. A similar but more truncated list appears on pages 3-113 of the Hotel Book compiled by Howard Johnson.
• Hotel rates, 1920-1924 Hotel rates can often be found within the advertisements throughout the pages of the Automobile Blue Books.
• Hotel rates, 1928 We have access to the 1928 Official Hotel Red Book and Directory. Contact us for a look-up.
• San Diego hotel rates, 1925 Hotel rates are shown in the advertisements in San Diego tourist.
• Vacation to Yellowstone National Park - Prices in 1920 This booklet shows prices for hotels and amenities such as a shave and haircut, bath house rates, telephone rates, restaurant meals, etc. Also shows rowboat and pack horse rental rates, cost for guided tours, price of postcards, and transportation fares.

Prices in ENGLAND, 1920s

Prices in IRELAND, 1920s

Prices in NEW ZEALAND, 1920s

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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