“Average Annual Earnings in All Industries and
in Selected Industries and Occupations: 1890 to 1926”
Source: Statistical History of the United States, Colonial Times to the Present
(Stamford: Fairfield Publishers, Inc., 1965), pp. 91-92.
Year All Industries       Wage
earners,
manu-    
facturing		 Wage
earners,
steam
railroads		 Street
railways		 Telephones Telegraphs Gas and
electricity		 Clerical
workers,
mfg. and
steam
railroads		 Bituminous
coal
mining		 Farm
labor		 Federal
employees		 Postal
employees		 Public
school
teachers		 Ministers
Including
farm
labor		 Excluding
farm
labor
1926 $1,376 $1,473 $1,309 $1,613 $1,566 $1,117 $1,215 $1,477 $2,310 $1,247 $593 $1,809 $2,128 $1,277 $1,826
1925 1,336 1,434 1,208 1,597 1,565 1,108 1,161 1,448 2,239 1,141 587 1,776 2,051 1,263 1,769
1924 1,303 1,402 1,240 1,570 1,544 1,104 1,150 1,436 2,196 1,120 574 1,708 1,934 1,247 1,678
1923 1,299 1,393 1,254 1,585 1,493 1,069 1,133 1,355 2,126 1,246 572 1,658 1,870 1,224 1,620
1922 1,201 1,305 1,149 1,591 1,436 1,064 1,110 1,343 2,067 954 508 1,625 1,844 1,188 1,622
1921 1,233 1,349 1,180 1,632 1,539 1,038 1,159 1,364 2,134 1,013 522 1,593 1,870 1,082 1,556
1920 1,407 1,489 1,358 1,817 1,608 980 1,145 1,432 2,160 1,386 810 1,648 1,844 1,936 1,428
1919 1,201 1,272 1,158 1,509 1,387 844 967 1,291 1,914 1,097 706 1,520 1,618 810 1,238
1918 1,047 1,115 980 1,424 1,111 690 831 1,092 1,697 1,211 604 1,380 1,339 689 1,186
1917 830 887 774 989 872 616 769 853 1,477 976 481 1,295 1,207 648 1,069
1916 708 765 651 867 798 567 806 679 1,359 750 388 1,211 1,175 605 1,017
1915 633 687 568 815 748 529 792 644 1,267 589 355 1,152 1,162 578 984
1914 627 682 580 795 737 476 742 651 1,257 543 351 1,140 1,157 564 938
1913 621 675 578 760 704 438 717 661 1,236 631 360 1,136 1,124 547 899
1912 592 646 550 721 674 438 669 641 1,209 614 348 1,128 1,091 529 879
1911 575 629 537 705 685 419 670 648 1,213 553 338 1,116 1,071 509 856
1910 574 630 558 677 681 417 649 622 1,156 558 336 1,108 1,049 492 802
1909 543 594 518 644 671 430 622 618 1,136 524 328 1,106 1,021 476 831
1908 516 563 475 667 650 420 639 595 1,111 487 324 1,102 987 455 833
1907 524 595 522 661 658 412 635 623 1,091 580 319 1,094 944 431 831
1906 520 569 506 607 662 412 592 581 1,074 537 315 1,084 921 409 773
1905 503 554 494 589 646 401 581 543 1,076 500 302 1,072 935 392 759
1904 490 540 477 600 610 392 601 556 1,056 470 290 1,066 931 377 759
1903 489 543 486 593 582 397 573 ...... 1,037 522 277 1,067 928 358 761
1902 467 519 473 562 576 408 544 ...... 1,025 490 264 1,061 934 346 737
1901 454 508 456 549 601 ...... ...... 615 1,009 564 255 1,047 936 337 730
1900 438 490 435 548 604 ...... ...... 620 1,011 438 247 1,033 925 328 731
1899 428 480 426 543 491 ...... ...... 612 1,004 379 239 1,017 924 318 731
1898 417 468 412 542 558 ...... ...... 698 1,010 316 228 1,025 939 306 739
1897 411 462 408 543 552 ...... ...... 703 940 270 224 1,057 950 298 750
1896 411 462 406 544 531 ...... ...... 665 954 282 220 1,084 944 294 764
1895 415 468 416 546 509 ...... ...... 640 941 307 216 1,104 935 289 787
1894 400 448 386 546 508 ...... ...... 670 928 292 214 1,110 919 283 824
1893 430 480 420 563 526 ...... ...... 627 923 383 232 1,101 902 276 809
1892 445 495 446 563 535 ...... ...... 625 885 393 238 1,096 899 270 793
1891 438 487 442 554 529 ...... ...... 587 882 377 236 ...... 894 264 786
1890 438 486 439 560 557 ...... ...... 687 848 406 233 ...... 878 256 794
Year Including
farm
labor		 Excluding
farm
labor		 Wage
earners,
manu-    
facturing		 Wage
earners,
steam
railroads		 Street
railways		 Telephones Telegraphs Gas and
electricity		 Clerical
workers,
mfg. and
steam
railroads		 Bituminous
coal
mining		 Farm
labor		 Federal
employees		 Postal
employees		 Public
school
teachers		 Ministers
All Industries      
Federal Hourly Minimum Wage History
Source: CNN News
Month / Year Minimum
Hourly Wage
October 1938  $0.25
October 1939  $0.30
October 1945  $0.40
January 1950  $0.75
March 1956  $1.00
September 1961  $1.15
September 1963  $1.25
February 1967  $1.40
February 1968  $1.60
May 1974  $2.00
Month / Year Minimum
Hourly Wage
January 1975  $2.10
January 1976  $2.30
January 1978  $2.65
January 1979  $2.90
January 1980  $3.10
January 1981  $3.35
April 1990  $3.80
April 1991  $4.25
October 1996  $4.75
September 1997  $5.15
Webpage last updated:   Sunday, October 15, 2006