Agricultural wages the U.S. in 1948 were almost 10 times higher than those in 1818. Wages fluctuated throughout the 19th century, with a notable dip in the 1870s - factors such as technological improvements, high interest rates, and international competition saw productivity increase, but this led to the crop price per unit falling, driving wages down as smaller farms struggled to compete with larger landowners. Wages then rose during the 1910s, as the agricultural sector boomed due to the demands of the First World War. The post-war recession then created a farming crisis in the early 1920s, but there was some recovery by the end of the decade. Agriculture was then the hardest hit sector of the economy during the Great Depression in the 1930s, before New Deal reforms and the onset of the Second World War helped re-stabilize the industry from the mid-1930s onward, and wages rose rapidly thereafter.
Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948
(as a share of wages in 1909)
Characteristic
Wages in relation to those in 1909
1948
427.2%
1947
407%
1946
386%
1945
356%
1944
322%
1943
271%
1942
206%
1941
160%
1940
131.7%
1939
130%
1938
130%
1937
134%
1929
189.7%
1919
194.9%
1909
100%
1899
68.4%
1890
65.4%
1880
54.9%
1870
77.8%
1860
64.1%
1850
50.9%
1830
41.5%
1818
44.4%
Zoomable Statistic: Select the range in the chart you want to zoom in on.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Macmillan Publishers. (December 31, 1993). Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948 (as a share of wages in 1909) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/
Macmillan Publishers. "Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948 (as a share of wages in 1909)." Chart. December 31, 1993. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/
Macmillan Publishers. (1993). Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948 (as a share of wages in 1909). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/
Macmillan Publishers. "Index of Annual Agricultural Wages in The United States in Select Years between 1818 and 1948 (as a Share of Wages in 1909)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Dec 1993, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/
Macmillan Publishers, Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948 (as a share of wages in 1909) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Index of annual agricultural wages in the United States in select years between 1818 and 1948 (as a share of wages in 1909) [Graph], Macmillan Publishers, December 31, 1993. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1315927/us-index-wages-agriculture-historical/