In 1860, the average annual wage for all non-farm workers was $363. In 1926, Steinway factory wages averaged $30. to $40. per week. Johann’s salary that year was close to the national average yearly wage for a union worker in manufacturing industries: $2,392. For all industries, the national average wage in 1926 was $1,473. Public school teachers typically earned $1,342. per year. A domestic servant earned $748. per year, and a farm laborer earned $386. per year. An easy way to get a feel for the change in the purchasing power of a dollar is to compare the cost of basic expenses, such as housing, goods and foodstuffs, then and now. As an exercise, students may compare today’s prices for these basic items by looking at newspaper ads.

Here are some prices from the mid-1920’s: Ford Model A Sedan $495.00 Loaf of bread: 10¢ 1 Dozen eggs: 60¢ Quart of milk: 15¢ Child’s coat: $10.00 Steinway upright piano $875.00 Steinway concert grand $2,700.00	Steinway Shipping Department, c. 1865.
The work day itself changed over time. In 1850, workers had a ten-hour work day. Working 6 days a week was common. Derks, Scott, ed. The Value of a Dollar. Prices and Incomes in the United States, 1860-1989. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. (and other sources) Wattenberg, Ben J. The Statistical History of the United States from Colonial Times to the Present. New York: Basic Books, 1976.