Links to U. S. government documents listing retail prices for typical consumer purchases, and wages for common occupations. All data is for the United States unless specifically indicated.
The periodical Farm Labor has been in publication for nearly 90 years. It was originally published monthly, and then became a quarterly. The Hathi Trust digital library has these issues as well.
Data online from the Missouri chapter of the NEA (National Education Administration).
Missouri teacher salaries
The Missouri State Teachers Association publishes annual statistics by school district, educational attainment of teacher, and more. See the 2019-2020 edition online.
Prices for meats, fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs, milk and more foods, as well as gasoline, electricity, natural gas and other residential energy. To view data back to 1980, click the green "Historical Data" icon in the rows, then use drop-down boxes near the top of the page to set start and end years.
Manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) for cars and trucks are available through the NADA website. Choose a make, year, and body type. Select a car then enter any zip code. Click "Get Base Values" to see the original suggested retail price.
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.
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Reference service is available Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Marie Concannon, Government Information Librarian
Government Documents Department
106B Ellis Library (1st Floor East)
University of Missouri, Columbia
Phone (573) 882-0748
