An Index of the Wage of Unskilled Labor from 1774 to the Present Samuel H. Williamson Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Miami University Senior Editor, EH.Net Year Wage index 1774 33 1775 35 1776 32 1777 35 1778 36 1779 31 1780 41 1781 43 1782 39 1783 36 1784 34 1785 44 1786 40 1787 48 1788 48 1789 42 1790 37 1791 43 1792 43 1793 48 1794 45 1795 63 1796 62 1797 61 1798 69 1799 52 1800 60 1801 71 1802 75 1803 57 1804 72 1805 62 1806 86 1807 69 1808 68 1809 104 1810 88 1811 91 1812 92 1813 87 1814 97 1815 92 1816 111 1817 93 1818 72 1819 75 1820 67 1821 74 1822 68 1823 80 1824 78 1825 68.9 1826 68.9 1827 68 1828 67 1829 68 1830 67 1831 65 1832 67 1833 68.9 1834 75.7 1835 75.7 1836 78.6 1837 92.2 1838 77.7 1839 81.6 1840 69.9 1841 73.8 1842 75.7 1843 78.6 1844 77.7 1845 75.7 1846 74.8 1847 69.9 1848 83.5 1849 81.6 1850 82.5 1851 81.6 1852 86.4 1853 85.4 1854 90.3 1855 93.2 1856 94.2 1857 99 1858 93.2 1859 101.9 1860 100 1861 102 1862 106 1863 121 1864 138 1865 145 1866 145 1867 145 1868 146 1869 146 1870 142 1871 142 1872 143 1873 136 1874 131 1875 125 1876 118 1877 114 1878 111 1879 109 1880 116 1881 120 1882 123 1883 128 1884 130 1885 128 1886 129 1887 132 1888 138 1889 138 1890 138 1891 138 1892 138 1893 138 1894 132 1895 135 1896 133 1897 133 1898 135 1899 137 1900 140 1901 144 1902 148 1903 154 1904 155 1905 157 1906 165 1907 172 1908 164 1909 166 1910 172 1911 168 1912 171 1913 179 1914 180 1915 182 1916 224 1917 279 1918 351 1919 409 1920 469 1921 388 1922 357 1923 393 1924 406 1925 404 1926 409 1927 418 1928 420 1929 431 1930 424 1931 407 1932 355 1933 356 1934 424 1935 439 1936 445 1937 506 1938 520 1939 527 1940 542 1941 604 1942 686 1943 757 1944 791 1945 813 1946 900 1947 1017 1948 1087 1949 1131 1950 1184 1951 1283 1952 1358 1953 1450 1954 1521 1955 1584 1956 1662 1957 1745 1958 1830 1959 1903 1960 1976 1961 2047 1962 2114 1963 2181 1964 2245 1965 2314 1966 2399 1967 2515 1968 2660 1969 2822 1970 3021 1971 3265 1972 3499 1973 3734 1974 4008 1975 4354 1976 4768 1977 5150 1978 5570 1979 6042 1980 6650 1981 7209 1982 7588 1983 7914 1984 8202 1985 8485 1986 8647 1987 8838 1988 9175 1989 9484 1990 9878 1991 10255 1992 10531 1993 10812 1994 11100 1995 11446 1996 11842 1997 12255 1998 12682 1999 13097 2000 13673 2001 14428 2002 14655 2003 14957 2004 15146 2005 15448 2006 15826 2007 16166 2008 17110