Library Guides: Prices and Wages by Decade: 1930-1939

Wages, 1930-1939

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

Federal Minimum Wage chart, 1938-2009
Chart from the U.S. Dept of Labor shows the first federal minimum wage law enacted in 1938 (25 cents), and all subsequent increases through 2009.
Minimum wage rates for teachers, by state
By the late 1930s, twenty states had minimum wage laws for teachers. Table #3 gives a summary. See greater detail for each state in the section Abstracts of minimum salary laws starting on page 23 .
Common labor starting wage rates, 1931-1934
Also breaks out the wage data by industry and geographic region.
Common labor starting wage rates - 1935
Scroll through this chapter to see numerous tables with averages and breakdowns by industry and by region.
Common laborers employed by cities - 1935
Shows starting wage data broken out by states. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 627.
Manufacturing - Average weekly earnings, 1919-1960
Very simple table shows average hours and earnings for all production workers in manufacturing for each year from 1919-1960.
Union wages and hours by U.S. city, 1929-1930
Covers a wide variety of occupations, such as railroad sleeping car conductors, boat captains, music engravers and musicians, hatters, actors, barbers, turkish bath attendants, artists, office workers, store clerks, enbalmers and many more. Use the table of contents to find the page number.
Wages, hours and earnings by occupation and sex, 1928-1934
Hundreds of pages detailing the average wages, number of hours worked, and average earnings by occupation, broken out by gender and sometimes by location. Source: Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1936 edition.
Wages, hours and earnings by occupation and sex, 1935-1940
Hundreds of pages detailing the wages for a great number of occupations such as firemen, policemen, fishermen, enlisted military (Army and Navy), office workers, accountants, chiropractors, dentists, engineers, lawyers, librarians, nurses, physicians, school employees, factory workers and more. Source: Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1941 edition.
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.
Federal employee salaries by occupation - 1938
Tables show average wages for 117 occupational groups employed in the federal government, including architects, librarians, entomologists, chemists, accountants, postmasters, cooks, supply clerks, kitchen workers, electricians and more. Tables span pages 83-85 in this source, the Jan 1941 issue of Monthly Labor Review.
Manufacturing jobs - Earnings and hours
Part of the U.S. BLS Employment and Payrolls series, this source provides average wages by industry, not occupation. The industries however are specific, such as radio and phonograph manufacture, jewelry making, ship building and carpet/rug weaving. Click on any of the following dated reports: 1932: November, December; 1933: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December; 1934: January, February.
Farmers' earnings by state, 1934-1935
Although farm owners don't earn wages, they did have earnings through sale of farm products. See average prices received by farmers for crops, by state and average prices paid for livestock in Chicago, Kansas City and Omaha. Source: USDA Crops and Markets.
Wages and hours before and after World War I
Compares pre- and post-WWI wages, union rates, farm wage rates, hours of work, and average weekly earnings by industry. Compares the years 1914-23 with 1939-44.
Wage chronologies for selected major companies
Lists of monitored changes in wage rates in selected U.S. companies such as General Motors and Chrysler Corp. Covers the late 1930s through the 1970s.

WAGES by RACE

Negro workers, weekly earnings in 1930 and 1936
Source: The Urban Negro Worker in the United States, 1925-1936, published by the federal government as a WPA project.
Negroes and whites - Wage and salary income, 1939-1960
The source Economic Situation of Negroes in the United States compares median wages and salary income for white race and non-white races, with breakouts by sex. Provides data for the years 1939, 1947, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960. The preface states that "Negroes constitute more than 95% of the non-white residents of the U.S."

Wages by Occupation / Industry, 1930-1939

Agriculture - Farm workers' wages and income - 1909 to 1938
Farm wage rates are 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.
Agriculture - Farm labor wages 1866-1935
Average yearly wage, reported with and without board (meals). Taken from the 1936 Statistical Abstract of the United States.
Agriculture - Farm Labor wages, 1930-1939
The monthly USDA periodical Farm Labor showed farm labor wages with and without room and board, and broken out by geography.
Air transportation workers - Wages, 1931
Wages and earnings for pilots, co-pilots and ground personnel engaged in passenger service or mail delivery. Crop dusters, sight-seeing tour operators, mappers and surveyors, and office workers were not included in these figures. See data for 1933 here.
Ammunition industry - Average hourly earnings, 1937
Details of workers' hourly and weekly earnings in the ammunition industry in October 1937. Hourly earnings are given by gender, occupation, and skill level.
Bakery workers - Wages by city and state, 1931
Average wages and hours of work by occupation and gender.
Bread and cake baking wages, 1931
Similar data as above but printed in a different government source. Lists wages and hours in the baking industry broken out by occupation, gender, and city.
Bakeries - Union wages, hours and working conditions, 1939
Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), No. 673
Bread-baking industry - Wages, hours and working conditions, 1934
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin, No. 623
Beauty shop wages and working conditions
Source: BLS Monthly Labor Review v. 41 no. 2 (Aug 1935)
Boot and shoe industry workers' wages, 1910 to 1930
Wages and hours of labor.
Building trades - Union wages - 1936-1961
Choose a decade, then a publication, then click the "View" button.
Building trades - Hourly wages by occupation, state and town, 1938
Shows hourly wages paid to workers employed through the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program to put the unemployed back to work. Shows wage detail for each construction occupation (carpenter, painter, electrician, etc.) by state and then by town. See sections for California, Texas and New York state for example.
Cane-sugar refining industry wages, 1930
Average wages, hours and earnings by occupation and sex and by sex and district.
Cigarette manufacturing - Wages and hours, 1930
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 532
Clerical workers' earnings, North Atlantic region, 1934-36
Income and expenditures for white and Negro families. Click a publication, then the "View" button. Next, click the magnifying glass and search for the word "earnings" in the text.
Coal mining - Hours and earnings, 1919-1933
Clothing manufacture (men's) - Wages and hours, 1911-1932
Cooks on passenger vessels based in Boston, 1929-1930
This chart of union wages shows the significant differences in pay for chief cooks, second cooks and night cooks for first class ship passengers, compared to pay earned by cooks for second class passengers on the same vessel.
Deep-sea ship transportation occupations, wage structure - 1935
Wages for chief officers, first mates, second mates etc., radio operators, boatswains, carpenters, electricians, engineers, quartermasters, wheelsmen, petty officers, seamen, cadets, deck boys, engineers, firemen, chefs, cooks, butchers, bakers, scullions, waiters, countermen, salon stewards, deck stewards, cabin stewards, smoking room stewards, wine stewards, bellboys, deck patrol watchmen (security guards), stewardesses, messmen, messboys, porters, laundrymen, clerks, food service workers such as pantrymen and buffet attendants, musicians, orchestra leaders, pursers, ships’ surgeons. Separate tables by type of ship including passenger vessels, freighters, tankers, and all types of ships combined.
Dentists' income, 1929-1948
Nine-page article includes breakouts by state, by size of community, by source of income, and more.
Doctors (physicians and dentists) income, 1939-1976
Shows median net income of office-based, non-salaried physicians and dentists.
Drugs and toiletries manufacturing - Wages and hours, 1938
Shows wages and hours of those employed in the manufacture of medicine as well as toothpaste, shampoo, hair tonic, powders, after shave lotion, mostly in factories located in Illinois, Iowa and New Jersey, plus thirteen additional states. Source: Wages and hours in drugs and medicines and in certain toilet preparations, U.S. Women's Bureau Bulletin #171.
Education - Instructional staff salaries by state and race, 1939-1940
Table 7 shows average salary for instructional staff in elementary and secondary schools by race in the states of AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, MO, NC, OK, SC, TN, YX, VA, WV.
Education - Rural teacher salaries by state, 1925-1935
Shows median salaries of teachers and principals by state. Tables run from pages 10-14.
Education - Instructional staff salaries by state, 1929-1946
Table 8 shows average salaries of instructional staff (principals, supervisors and teachers) for every state in every year from 1929-1946. Source: U.S. Biennial Survey of Education.
Engineers' earnings, 1929-1934
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 682
Explosives manufacture, earnings and hours - 1937
Details the wages earned in the explosives industry (dynamite, TNT, etc.) in October 1937. Includes tables which give the hourly earnings in regards to skill type, occupation, and plant type ("Big Three" or other). Weekly earnings are given by skill level, and as a percentage of employees earning a range of weekly rates.
Firemen - Salaries, late 1930s (link to library item)
The Municipal Yearbook shows the salaries of firemen and fire chiefs for all U.S. cities over 30,000 in population. This work is still in active copyright and unavailable online. However, we would be happy to look up a salary for you if you contact us.
Folding-paper-box manufacture - Wages, 1933-1935
Foundry and machine shop wages, 1931
Trends of hours and earnings. Earnings by occupation. Overtime and bonuses.
Furniture manufacture - Wages and hours, 1910-1931
Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin No. 571
Furniture manufacturing industry - Wages and hours, 1937
Average earning, differences by product and community.
Gasoline filling stations and motor-vehicle repair garages - 1931
Days, hours and earnings by occupation and city.
Government workers, federal - Pay scales, 1930-1949
Table shows the basic annual pay rates for federal employees of various services and grades (GS-1 through GS-18, P, SP, CAF and CPC). These are not salary averages.
Hat manufacturing industries, earnings and hours - 1939
Average hourly earnings. Variations by sex and skill, and type of plant.
Hosiery and underwear manufacturing - Wages and hours, 1907-1932
Household worker wages - Philadelphia, 1928
Shows wages for domestic jobs typically occupied by males (chauffeurs, gardeners, butler, etc.) and females (housekeepers, children's nurse, chambermaids, etc.)
Iron and steel industry wages and hours, 1907-1931
Lawyers' income, 1929-1948
Shows lawyers' incomes by regions and states, by size of community served, by the age of the lawyer and number of years in practice, by WWII veteran status, and more. Source: "Income of Lawyers, 1929-1948" in the August 1949 issue of Survey of Current Business.
Leather industry wages, 1932
Average days, hours and earnings by occupation; sex and state; and by kind of leather, sex and state.
Leather Industries, earnings and hours - 1939
Average hourly earnings, hours, comparisons.
Leather glove industry, hours and earnings -1934
Includes tables which give the percentage of people earning within wage ranges.
Lumber industry job wages and hours, 1921-1932
Manufacturing wages, 1929-1939
Mainly covers cotton textiles, shoes and paper industries. Source: Investigation of Concentration of Economic Power, Monograph no. 5.
Manufacturing - Average hours and wages, 1929-1936
Source shows wage rates and average hours for workers in manufacturing on page 16. Wages for workers with specific kinds of manufacturers -- automobiles, cigars and cigarettes, telephone and telegraph, etc. -- appear on pages 17-24
Manufacturing and construction - Wages and hours, mid 1930s
This U.S BLS source, “Trend of Employment” shows average wages and hours of work by industry, mainly for manufacturing industries and for construction jobs. Also shows average pay for PWA jobs.
Medical personnel - Income of physicians, dentists and [other health workers], 1939-1976
Median net income of office-based nonsalaried physicians, dentists and male professional workers in health professions. Covers 1939, 1947, 1951, 1955, 1963, 1965, 1967, and 1970-1976.
Mining metals - Wages and hours, 1924 and 1931
Bulletin of the United States BLS, no. 573.
Mining bituminous coal - Wages, 1933
Average days, hours and earnings. Has some comparison data.
Motion-picture theater jobs wages in Washington DC, 1931
When the movie industry transitioned away from silent films around 1928-1930, it had a big impact on wages, especially for musicians. This 1931 article from the U.S. BLS Monthly Labor Review shows average weekly wages for all movie theater jobs, including ushers, projectionists, musicians, electricians, poster artists, pages, doormen, cashiers, watchmen, cleaning personnel, and elevator boys. Wages are broken out by theaters for white and colored (Negro / African American) audiences.
Newspaper industry - Editorial staff salaries, 1930-1934
Tells average weekly salaries of newspaper reporters, photographers, artists, clerks, stenographers, newspaper executives, deskmen and errand boys. Source: 1936 U.S. BLS Handbook of Labor Statistics, p, 987-988.
Physicians, non-salaried - Average income, 1929-1949
Table shows average gross and net incomes for non-salaried physicians for each year from 1929-1949.
Police salaries, late 1930s (link to library item)
The Municipal Yearbook shows the salaries of police patrolmen and police chiefs for all U.S. cities over 30,000 in population. This work is still in active copyright and unavailable online. However, we would be happy to look up a salary for you if you contact us.
Politicians - State governor salaries, 1935
The Congressional Record reported annual salaries for governors of U.S. states and territories.
Printing Trades - Union wages and hours
Radio manufacturing, hourly earnings - 1937
Tables with the hourly earnings by skill type, gender, branch of industry, type of plant, and as a percentage of employees earning a range of hourly rates.
Railway employees - Earnings and standard of living during the Depression
Report of an investigation which studied a sample of 1,000 railway workers who remained employed during the Great Depression. The report tells how these individuals' earnings went down, and what they did to make up for the loss (take in renters, etc.)
Retail shop owner's salaries, 1939
In 1939, Dun & Bradstreet conducted a survey of retail shops to obtain data on their costs of operation. The results included data on salaries drawn by shop owners, and were reprinted in U.S. Department of Commerce publications.
River towboats, wages and hours -1937
Data by occupation.
Paper box manufacturing - Wages and hours in 1933, 1934, and 1935
Bulletin of the United States BLS, No. 633
Shoe and allied industries - Wages and hours, 1939
Average hourly earnings, variations by sex and skill.
Slaughtering and meat-packing industry - Wages and hours, 1931
Includes tables that give the information by gender and occupation.
Street-railway employees - Union wages, 1937 and 1938
Wages by the hour, shown by job title and by city of employment.
Teachers
SEE "Education," above in this alphabetical list.
Textile Industry - Rayon and synthetic yarn manufacturing, 1930
Average wages and hours by occupation and districts. Overtime and bonuses.
Textiles, dyeing and finishing - Wages and hours, 1930 and 1932
Textile industry - Rayon and synthetic yarn manufacturing, 1932
Include tables that break down the information by gender, occupation, and give average hourly and weekly earnings for workers.
Textile industry - Silk and rayon goods manufacture - Wages and hours, 1931
Bulletin of the United States BLS, No. 568
Textile industry - Silk and rayon weavers wage rates - 1934
Shows the rates of pay of weavers in silk and rayon mills in certain cities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Textile industry - Woolen and worsted goods manufacturing, 1910 to 1932
Wages and hours of labor.
Truckdrivers and Helpers - Union Wages and Hours, 1939
Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
WPA worker wages in 1939
See WPA worker pay briefly discussed on pages 549-550 of this issue. The wage depended on the worker's skill class and the geographic location where he or she worked.

Women's wages - 1930-1939

Women's wages, compared to men in same occupations
Comparison of women's and men's wages by industry and occupation. Scroll forward in chapter to see all the industry categories plus discussion of each. Taken from "Women in the Economy of the United States of America: A Summary Report," Women's Bureau Bulletin, No. 155
Monthly earnings of full time women workers in Cleveland
Breakdowns by occupation and marital status.
Monthly earnings of full time women workers in Utah
Breakdown by occupation and marital status.
Women's wages, hours and earnings by occupation, 1928-1934
Shows occupations in alphabetical order, and wages/hours/earnings for males and females who worked in those occupations. Source: Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1936 edition.
Women's wages by industry/occupation, 1935-1940
Throughout this report, wages for males and females are compared, but it is first necessary to choose an industry and then occupation. Use the Table of Contents to find a chapter and use the "jump to" box to get to it quickly.
Household workers' wages by race - Chicago, 1930
Shows wages for domestic workers employed in private homes, with breakouts by race for cooks, kitchen helpers, housekeepers, chamber maids, parlor maids, governesses, child's nurses, laundresses, and those who did "heavy cleaning." Source: U.S. Women's Bureau publication #106.
Household workers' wages by sex - Philadelphia, 1928
Shows wages with breakouts for type of household duty: chambermaid, waitress, cleaner, cook, housekeeper, laundress, children's nurse, seamstress, and more.

Wage reports for individual states - 1930s

Hawaii wages - 1939
Earnings for day and piece-rate workers. Earnings by type of work and race.
Massachusetts - Wages and hours, 1935
Extensive tables run from page 1-74 in this state document, showing wages and hours for hundreds of detailed occupations, including building trades, food service, hospitality industries, brewing & bottling, printing, trucking, woodworking, manufacturing, theatrical employment, public utilities jobs, telephone operators, public transportation, barbers, engineers, radio telegraph operators, tobacco workers in cigar factories, and many more.
Missouri work relief projects - Wage rates by county, 1934-1935
Wages for common labor in the Work Relief Program were originally set at thirty cents an hour, but were later changed to better align with prevailing wage rates in the counties. This two-page table shows the rates by county, expressed in cents per hour. Source: Work Relief in Missouri, 1934-1935, a Missouri state publication.
Missouri - Wages of Civilian Conservation Corps camp enrollees
This 1939-40 Biennial Report of the Missouri State Social Security Commission gives monthly wages of boys enrolled in Civilian Conservation Corps camps.
North Carolina - Average earnings in the principal industries, 1938-1940
North Carolina state government publication shows average hours and wages for employees in all the major industries, including furniture manufacture, tobacco factories, retail establishments, textile mills, and more.
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.
Texas - Average weekly wages, 1931-1932
Shows average weekly wages and hours worked per week by men, women and boys in a variety of job settings, including barbershops, beauty parlors, laundries, hospitals, hotels and cafes, mercantile establishments, printing, manufacturing and more. Source: Texas state Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wages in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1930s

Wages in 16 European countries by city and occupation, 1931
Shows data in 71 cities across 16 European countries plus Canada and the U.S., for occupations in the building trades such as bricklayers, masons, carpenters, plumbers and general laborers. Also shows wages for furniture makers, mechanical engineers, printers and bookbinders, electricians, drivers of motor vehicles and carriages, railway workers and bakers. Wages are shown in American dollars, citing conversion rates for all other currencies.
Wages and hours in Europe and Canada, 1938-1947
Gives wages in Great Britain, France, and Austria beginning in 1938, and Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada beginning in 1939. To find actual wages and not just inflation (price indexes) look for tables that specifically mention units of money, such as schillings and pence for Great Britain, francs for France, Swedish kronor, or look for symbols like $ in the tables. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin no. 934
Wages in the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and the Baltic countries, 1929-1932
Wages in the countries of Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands and Yugoslavia are discussed in a chapter on pages 1153-1208 in the U.S. Department of Labor's Monthly Labor Review, May 1932 issue.
Wages in the Baltic countries, 1933-1937
Lists and discusses wages in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania. Breakouts by industry, including agricultural and industrial workers, loggers, transportation workers and more.
Wages of seamen on American and European vessels, 1932
Shows wages and hours by occupation those on boats under the flags of Great Britain, Denmark, Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden. Indicates wages for jobs such as mates, engineers, radio operators, cooks and more.

Wages in ARGENTINA, 1930s

Wages and hours in Argentina, 1930s
Article includes many data tables and extends from page 456-470.

Wages in FRANCE, 1930s

Average hourly wages in French cities, 1935-1938
This is a table which examines the average hourly wages in francs in various industries like brewing, tailors, coopers, and watchmakers. It is organized by both sex of the worker and location.
Wage rates and retail prices for French workers, 1938-47
This is an article on wage trends and policies in France (1938-1947). It describes the wages for various industries like metal work, woodworking, and transportation. It also compares their wages by skill and sex to prices. The article includes lowest page jobs, allowances for children, and compares wages across French cities.
Daily wages in French iron and steel industries, 1938
This is a table which depicts the daily wages of French workers in the iron and steel industries. It is part of a larger article on French workers and is divided by class of laborer.
Average hourly wage in the French textile industry, 1938
This table is part of a larger article on French workers before the out break of WWII. This table describes the hourly wages of textile workers in different French districts and is divided by task and sex of the worker.
French wages and wage supplements - 1938, 1946, 1947
Tables show wages for military, industry, and commerce workers, and describes how their wages changed throughout the war.

Wages in GERMANY, 1930s

Labor Conditions in Germany, 1930s-1945
Tells wage averages by industry and sex. Includes a chart showing the trend of wages in Germany, 1929-1942. Published in the U.S. Dept of Labor's Monthly Labor Review, April 1945 issue, pages 498-524. (For additional context, see the Nov 1945 issue discussing price controls in Germany, 1936-1945).
General survey of wages in Germany in 1931
Each industry is handled separately in this extensive article from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Monthly Labor Review, June 1932 issue. The following list points to most (but not all) industries covered.
- Agricultural worker wages (hourly for full time work, by district, broken out by sex)
- Boot and shoe manufacturing wages
- Building trades wages (masons, carpenters, painters, roofers, etc.)
- Chemical industry wages (dyes, drugs, explosives, etc.)
- Chocolate factory wages
- Tobacco product manufacturing (cigars, cigarettes, snuff, etc.)
- Bakers and confectioners wages
- Flour milling wages
- Furriers' wages
- Glass factory wages
- Iron and steel worker wages
- Jewelers wages
- Lace making pay in the textile industry
- Lumber industry wages
- Metal working industry wages (machine construction, heating apparatus, shipbuilding, aircraft, railway rolling stock, scientific instruments, etc.)
- Mining coal and copper
- Musical instrument manufacturing
- Paper industry wages
- Printing trades and lithographic work wages
- Shipbuilding wages
- Spinners' and weavers' wages in the textile industry,.
- Woodworking and furniture making wages
Wages established by collective agreements in Germany, 1931-1932
Depicts the hourly wages of various German industries sorted by industrial or textile occupations and sorted by skill-level.
Furniture making job hours wages in Germany, 1893-1932
Shows wages in both German and American currencies.
Machine-building industry wages in Germany, 1931
Shows wage rates, hours and weekly earnings for males of various skill levels, and female workers.
Building trades earnings in Germany, 1932
Chart shows wages for masons, carpenters, helpers and underground workers.
Wages rates in principle industries in Germany, 1933
Shows the average hourly wages by sex, skill level, and city, for industries such as coal, paper, textiles, confectionery, railroad, and all industries, in general.
Hours and earnings by industry in Germany, 1934-35
Several tables provide hours worked and earnings of workers in industries such as brewing, musical-instrument manufacturing, woodworking, and baking. Charts feature breakouts by skill of worker.
Average hourly and weekly gross earnings for German workers, 1935
Describes the average wages earned per hour and week and is divided by industry and class of worker.
Average hourly and weekly gross earnings of German workers, 1936
Describes the average wages earned per hour and week and is divided by industry, including woodworking, metal, and textiles, and class of worker.
Wages in Germany in 1938
Extensive, 17-page article includes many charts and wage detail for all the major Germany industries, and covers some of the years leading up to 1938.
Average wage rates in Germany by industry, 1938
Table shows average hourly wage rates for male and female workers of various skill levels, by industry. This is part of an extensive article, "Labor Conditions in Germany," on pp. 498-524 of this source.
Labor policy in Germany, 1939
The German government issued a decree establishing a complete war economy on September 3, 1939 (Kriegsverpflichteten Wirtschaft). This involved lowering wages, increasing hours and preventing employees from quitting their jobs. Although this article does not tell the post-decree wage rates, we include it here because of the important context it provides. Source: U.S. BLS Monthly Labor Review, June 1940.

Wages in GREAT BRITAIN, 1930s

Agricultural worker wages, hours and earnings in Great Britain, 1936
Shows minimum wage rates and hours of agricultural workers in England and Wales in 1936, by sex and geographic district. Also shows the weekly earnings of Scottish shepherds, plowmen, cattlemen, farm hands and dairy workers are also listed, along with the value of the job perquisites (board and lodging).
Wages in Great Britain, 1937
Extensive article spanning pages 868-895 includes many tables showing wages by industry in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Wages in INDO-CHINA, 1930s

Wages in French Indo-China, 1931-1937
This article describes the daily wages paid to workers in French-occupied Indo-China, including breakouts for the cities of Hanoi and Saigon. Table shows wages by class, sex, and location of worker.

Wages in JAPAN, 1930s

Wages in Japan, 1933-1934
Shows average wages by industry, occupation and sex in Japan, with separate tables listing wages in Tokyo and the Kobe consular district and Taiwan (Formosa). Wages are expressed both in yen and in dollars.

Wages in MEXICO, 1930s

Wages in Mexico, 1937-1938
Extensive, 20-page article includes many data tables and detailed discussion of Mexican wages by industry.

Wages in PALESTINE, 1930s

Union wages in Palestine, 1931
Union wages reported in article titled "Economic and Social Conditions in Palestine" printed in the U.S. Department of Labor publication, Monthly Labor Review, March 1932.
Wages in Palestine, 1936
Tells wages in agriculture, manufacturing and construction jobs with breakouts by sex and Arab/Jewish. Includes wages for child labor in cigarette factories.
Wages in Palestine, 1938
Includes wage data for Jewish and Arab workers, with breakouts by sex in Sep 1937 and March 1938.
Wages in Palestine, 1939
Article includes tables showing wage breakouts for Jewish and Arabian laborers in Palestine, working in agricultural industry, manufacturing and construction. Article also includes tables showing union daily wage rates in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Wages in the SOVIET UNION, 1930s

Average yearly wages in the Soviet Union, 1929-1932
This table provides average yearly wages per industry or trade type, including transportation, education and agriculture, among others.
Payments-in-kind earnings of peasants on Kolkhoz farms, 1935-1937
This short article describes the Soviet Government process for redistribution of farm products to collective farm workers. It describes the average changes to earnings of grain per working day during the given time period.
Fixed wages for agricultural workers, 1935
This article lists specific fixed daily wages in combinations of rubles and grain in kilograms. Wages are divided by type of machine operated and amount of work completed.

Prices, 1930-1939

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COST OF LIVING / CONSUMER EXPENDITURES
PRICES in FOREIGN COUNTRIES

FOOD PRICES

Food prices, 1923-1936
. Roadside produce stand, ca.1930
Image credit
The link above provides prices averaged across 51 U.S. cities on pages 77-94 in the source. Click "more..." for direct links to retail prices for specific foods by city.

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TABLE 9 shows prices for corn flakes, macaroni, rice, bread, flour, fish, meats, dairy, eggs, fruit, fresh and canned fruits and vegetables, coffee, tea, sugar, lard, margarine, shortening.
TABLE 10 shows prices for cake, crackers, hominy grits, fish, lamb, canned and dried fruits, cocoa, mayonnaise, peanut butter, corn syrup, molasses, strawberry preserves.

Alabama: Birmingham Table 9 and Table 10
Alabama: Mobile Table 9 and Table 10
Arkansas: Little Rock Table 9 and Table 10
California: Los Angeles Table 9 and Table 10
California: San Francisco Table 9 and Table 10
Colorado: Denver Table 9 and Table 10
Connecticut: Bridgeport Table 9 and Table 10
Connecticut: New Haven Table 9 and Table 10
District of Columbia: Washington Table 9 and Table 10
Florida: Jacksonville Table 9 and Table 10
Georgia: Atlanta Table 9 and Table 10
Georgia: Savannah Table 9 and Table 10
Illinois: Chicago Table 9 and Table 10
Illinois: Peoria Table 9 and Table 10
Illinois: Springfield Table 9 and Table 10
Indiana: Indianapolis Table 9 and Table 10
Kentucky: Louisville Table 9 and Table 10
Louisiana: New Orleans Table 9 and Table 10
Maine: Portland Table 9 and Table 10
Maryland: Baltimore Table 9 and Table 10
Massachusetts: Boston Table 9 and Table 10
Massachusetts: Fall River Table 9 and Table 10
Michigan: Detroit Table 9 and Table 10
Minnesota: Minneapolis Table 9 and Table 10
Minnesota: St. Paul Table 9 and Table 10
Missouri: Kansas City Table 9 and Table 10
Missouri: St. Louis Table 9 and Table 10
Montana: Butte Table 9 and Table 10
Nebraska: Omaha Table 9 and Table 10
New Hampshire: Manchester Table 9 and Table 10
New York: Buffalo Table 9 and Table 10
New York: Newark Table 9 and Table 10
New York City Table 9 and Table 10
New York: Rochester Table 9 and Table 10
Ohio: Cincinnati Table 9 and Table 10
Ohio: Cleveland Table 9 and Table 10
Ohio: Columbus Table 9 and Table 10
Oregon: Portland Table 9 and Table 10
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Table 9 and Table 10
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Table 9 and Table 10
Pennsylvania: Scranton Table 9 and Table 10
Rhode Island: Providence Table 9 and Table 10
South Carolina: Charleston Table 9 and Table 10
Tennessee: Memphis Table 9 and Table 10
Texas: Dallas Table 9 and Table 10
Texas: Houston Table 9 and Table 10
Utah: Salt Lake City Table 9 and Table 10
Virginia: Norfolk Table 9 and Table 10
Virginia: Richmond Table 9 and Table 10
Washington: Seattle Table 9 and Table 10
Wisconsin: Milwaukee Table 9 and Table 10
Food Prices, 1937-1938
Average retail prices for 63 foods in 51 large U.S. cities combined. Scroll forward in the source for price breakouts by city.
Food prices - May 1939
Average retail prices for 63 foods in 51 large U.S. cities combined.
Food prices - November 1939
Average retail prices of 63 foods in 51 large U.S. cities combined.
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.
Food prices paid by farmers, 1910-1943
Prices paid by farmers 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.
Milk prices by city and state - May 1935
Gives the price for home delivery and for sale at retail stores. Milk prices were reported monthly in the U.S. government publication Crops and Markets. Click on any issue and search for the phrase "fluid milk market" to get milk prices for other dates.
Restaurant food and drink prices, 1930s
Steak only 10 cents at Frank's Grill, St. Louis, ca. 1935
Image credit

Site has nearly 2,000 scanned restaurant menus from the 1930-1939 decade, mostly from the New York area. This is not a government resource but it can be useful for spot-checking prices for specific food and drinks at restaurants.

MERCHANDISE PRICES

Investigation of concentration of economic power (U.S. Senate publication) - 1930s
Appendix II (starting on page 242) shows ....
* Prices for ladies' foundation garments, girdles and brassieres
* Prices for ladies cheap dresses and medium quality dresses
* Prices for girls' cotton dresses, girls' socks, women's hose, women's coats
* Prices for men's work shirts
* Prices for washing machines, vacuum cleaners, radios, refrigerators

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SOURCE: Monograph No. 1: Price Behavior and Business Policy, "A Study made under the auspices of the [U.S.] Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Temporary National Economic Committee, 76th Congress, 3rd Session...." Published as a Senate Committee Print.
Clothing prices paid by farmers, 1935-1939 average
See average prices for men's wool suits, trousers, overalls, work shirts, socks, work shoes and rubber boots, as well as women's silk/rayon hose, percale house dresses, underwear and shoes. Prices for sheets and fabrics are also provided. Table also shows data for 1942, 1943 and 1944.
Sears mail order catalog, 1936
This link leads to the first page of the index to the 1936 Sears Catalog. Find the item desired in the index and enter the page number in the "Jump to" box in HathiTrust.
Sears Christmas catalog, 1937
This link leads to WishbookWeb.com, a site that features historic mail order catalogs in color. Find retail prices for clothing, jewelry, toys, household decor and furnishings, gift items and more.
Price of farm tools and implements, 1937
Prices are listed in the Sears Complete Line of Modern Farm Operating Equipment catalog dated 1937. Not a government document.
Health and beauty item retail prices, 1931
Congressional hearing reports average prices of items typically sold in drug stores such as over-the counter pain relievers and remedies, shaving cream, face lotion, face powder, toothpaste, tooth brush, shampoo, eye drops, etc.

HOUSING and REAL ESTATE PRICES

Median value of owned (non-farm) homes by state, 1930
Indicates value of owned homes by state with further breakouts for domestic or foreign born owners, and by white or Negro/African-American owners. Source: 1930 Census.
Median monthly rent by state and race, 1930
Shows median monthly rent by state, with further breakouts for urban/rural rented homes, race of occupants, and by native and foreign-born whites. Source: 1930 Census.
Cost to rent, and value of owner-occupied homes - early 1930s
Rents and home values are listed in the chapter "Housing Conditions in American Cities, 1934" on page 241 of the 1936 Handbook of Labor Statistics. There are special sections that discuss low-cost apartment rentals and tenements in New York City, and housing costs (including rentals) in Philadelphia.
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. For more detail, see Estimating Construction Costs by G. Underwood (1930).
Farm real estate values in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, 1912-2018
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 2018. Compares the figures to the average for all other states.

HOUSEHOLD UTILITIES

Electric Bills, "Typical" - 1938-1944, 1946-1947
Lists the net monthly electric bills for cities of over 50,000 people.
Electricity, average monthly bills for residential service, by city - 1936
Gives the price per kilowatt hour and total net monthly bill for households having various electrical appliances in 1936.
Electricity, changes in retail price -- 1923-38
Indicates prices per kilowatt-hour by areas and cities. Discusses household expenditures for electricity, and estimates the number of homes that had various electrical appliances (radios, refrigerators, irons, etc.) over the years. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin, no. 664
Changes in retail prices of [natural] gas, 1923-36
In residences, natural gas was mainly for cooking and water heating. Source: BLS Bulletin, no. 628
Coal for household use, 1931-1932
Average retail price of coal by city for April and May of 1931 and 1932.

PRICES for SERVICES

Rates charged for hospital services (two-page summary)
Source: Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1931 edition : Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 541
Residential fees at "old people's homes," 1939
Article describes the services and fees charged for the care of aged in old people's homes (AKA retirement homes, nursing homes). See fee chart on page 1056 and statement on page 1059, "Assuming an average cost to the home of $410 per person per year...."
Cost to mail a letter, 1863-present
Chart shows postal rates for mailing a domestic letter. Source: the Historian of the U.S. Postal Service.

TRAVEL and TRANSPORTATION PRICES

Passenger train fare in the U.S., 1871-1933
Average railroad passenger fare (ticket price) expressed in cents per mile.
Railway passenger ticket prices - 1930-1933
Railroad passenger fares were generally calculated on a cents-per-mile basis. See full railroad passenger fare overview in the section titled "Carrier Price," in the U.S. document "Passenger Traffic Report" on pages 38-39. Also find average price per guest in dollars for compartments, upper berths, lower berths, bedrooms, drawing rooms, and private sections on reserved railway cars in the year 1933.
Bus, railroad and airfares between selected U.S. cities, 1939
Single table shows bus, railway or airplane fares for easy comparison. Source: "The National Traffic Pattern," a congressional report published in 1944.
Intercity bus fares before 1935
The Motor Carrier Act of 1935 imposed standards on intercity bus fares. This book (not a government document) explains the unpredictable nature of fares before Congress passed the law.
Car prices as shown in "Pictorial History of the Automobile"
Arranged by make and model of car. Provides good representation for the cost of a new car from 1900 through the 1920s. Less for the 1930s and after. Source: A Pictorial History of the Automobile, as seen in Motor magazine, published 1953 (not a government publication or a primary source).
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 price in Los Angeles CA, 1933
Retail prices for gasoline in the Los Angeles area ranged from 12.5 cents to 16.5 cents per gallon in June 1933. Retail price data is also available for April 1933 and May 1933. Source: "California Refinery Market," a regular column in National Petroleum News.
Steamship fare from New York to Europe, ca. 1936
Shows summer rates. Source: American Automobile Association. For more context on the differences between steamers and classes of travel, see the section Choice of Steamer in the book Planning a Trip Abroad (1931)

COST OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION

Cost of attending college, 1933-1934
Lists average college tuition, student fees, room and board for 1933 and 1934. Turn to specific pages to see breakouts:
-Table 1. Summary of Averages.
-Table 2. State-controlled universities and colleges. Pages 11-14
-Table 3. Municipal Colleges and Universities Page 15
-Table 4. Privately Controlled Colleges and Universities. Pages 15-18.
-Table 5. Denominationally Controlled Institutions. Pages 19-22
-Table 6. Independent Technological Institutions,Including all that are publicly controlled and/or accredited by the Association of American Universities. Page 23.

Cost of Living and Consumer Expenditures, 1930s

In addition to the links below, we highly recommend the book America's Capacity to Consume, published in 1934 by the Brookings Institution. It is unparalleled in its reporting of personal and household income as well as consumer expenditures in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Cost of clothing for moderate-income families, 1935-44
Bulletin of the US.. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), No. 789
Family expenditures for selected cities, 1935-36
Provides an in-depth look at average family expenditures based on several factors.Includes city, family type, income, race, and in some cases, occupation type.
Food diets at four levels of nutritive content and cost, 1934
Describes four types of diets in November 1934, with regards to their nutritional information and costs at 1931-1932 retail prices. It breaks down cost by food product, such as milk, eggs, and fruits, as well as by city, including New York and St. Louis. Costs of food items starts on page 13.

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Paper copy available in Ellis Library: http://laurel.lso.missouri.edu/record=b2114426~S1
Family expenditure in Chicago, 1935-36
Family income by occupational group, sources, by family composition.
Family income and expenditure in selected urban communities, 1935-36
Covers the west central/Rocky Mountain region of the U.S.
Standards of living in four southern Appalachian Mountain counties, 1938
Part 10 of the Social Research Report,an overview of the average standard of living of families in four counties, two in North Carolina and two in Kentucky, in 1938. Provides average family expenditures on and values of commodities like housing, food, education, and automobiles.
Standard of living for minimum wage households, Detroit MI, 1929
Ford Motor Company considered $7/day its "minimum wage" in 1929. This study shows the standard of living it provided for families of 4-5 people which were supported only by a husband earning that wage. Shows prices and annual expenditures for purchases in categories. Also details the quality of housing, typical home furnishings, etc. for these families. See pages 11-55 in the 1931 U.S. Dept of Labor Handbook of Labor Statistics.
Standards of living in seven rural resettlement communities, 1938
As a way to analyze the success of a handful of settlements established by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration for economically disadvantaged families in the 1930s, this report checked on family expenditures. Seven such communities were analyzed for this report. It is not meant to report on average prices so much as it is to show household expenditures of certain families.
Money disbursements of wage earners and clerical workers, 1933-35
Study covered 13 small cities, focusing on cost of living, expenditure patterns, expenditures for specific goods.
Money disbursements of wage earners and clerical workers, 1934-36
Study covered in 8 cities in the east north central region, focusing on income and disbursements. Shows expenditures on specified goods.
Money disbursements of wage earners and clerical workers, 1934-36
Covers five cities in the Pacific region, focusing on income and disbursements. Includes expenditures on specified goods.
Money disbursements of wage earners and clerical workers, 1934-36: Summary Volume
Expenditures on food, housing, clothing, medical care, etc.
Money disbursements of wage earners and clerical workers, 1934-36
Covers five cities in the west north central-mountain region, focusing on income and disbursements. Includes expenditures on specified goods.
Wartime prices, 1939-1941
Tracks price changes between the invasion of Poland (August 1939) and the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. The focus is on wholesale and commodity price fluctuations and the reasons behind the changes, and tracks profit margins for sellers. It does not give actual retail prices.
The farmer's share of the consumer's food dollar (1937)
Includes annual consumption by family and prices on selected food items.

Prices in Foreign Countries, 1930-1939

Multiple countries
Central America and Caribbean
France
Soviet Union

Sources showing prices in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, 1930s

Click the tabs above for single countries.

Gasoline prices in foreign countries - 1936
See gasoline prices by the gallon and motor oil by the quart in each of 65 countries. Source: American Automobile Association.
World retail prices and taxes on gasoline, kerosene, and motor lubricating oils
Reports prices in U.S. cents using exchange rates in effect at the time. Source: U.S. Department of the Interior.
Hotel prices in Europe, ca. 1930
Hotel prices are discussed on pages 83-88 of the book "Planning a Trip Abroad," published in 1931.
Cost of "Food basket" in the U.S. and 20 other countries, 1932
For each of 19 European countries plus the US and Canada, this source shows the average cost of a "food basket" containing a standardized selection of grocery items consumed in a typical household.
Retail prices in 16 European countries, the U.S. and Canada, 1931
Table compares the cost of a few dozen specific foods and household fuels (firewood, coal and electricity) across 18 countries. Amounts are expressed in American dollars with currency conversions cited for all foreign monies.

Prices in CENTRAL AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN, 1930s

Motion picture admission prices in Central America and the Caribbean, 1931
The U.S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce reported movie ticket prices in Trade Information Bulletin #754 . See ticket prices for: British Honduras (Belize), Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvadore, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico.

Prices in FRANCE, 1930s

Paris, France prices listed in tourist guidebook published 1932
See book Password to Paris: Advice for the Thrifty, published in the U.S. in 1932. Not a government document.

Prices in the SOVIET UNION, 1930s

Prices of food and consumer goods in the Soviet Union, 1936-1940
This article and accompanying table list retail prices of select foodstuffs and clothing in state retail stores for the years of 1936, 1939, and 1940.
Cost of living and fixed food prices in the Soviet Union, 1934-1935
This article discusses the abolition of the ration card system and implementation of fixed food prices with the economic implications for each. Tables include fixed prices for bread, flour, meat and other foodstuffs. Also included are fixed monthly wages for workers in the textile industry.

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.

Timeline -- Major Economic Events of the 1930s

Taken from a 75-year graphical timeline of financial events in America, the links below each lead to a single year on the chart. To see the full chart in context, go to the St. Louis Federal Reserve website.

Prices and Wages by Decade: 1930-1939