Average wages in Europe

[major bill]

I though this was interesting in regards to why immigrants came to the United States. The average wages made by a worker in 1845 Europe per week:

Great Britain 8s 0d
France 7s od
Switzerland 5s 7d
Belgium 6s od
Austria 5s od
Saxony 2s 0d

 

[Pat Young]

Major Bill, do you have a source for these numbers? Also, what was the average in the US?

 

[major bill]

I got it from a 1853 newspaper article in the Detroit Daily Free Press, taken I am sure from some other source or newspaper. I did not write down the date or any information. I did think low wages would be a good reason for emigration from Germany to the U.S.

 

[E_just_E]

This is a pretty good reference for UK farm hand salaries. I think that the equivalent US salary was about 25-30 cents a day, but I need to dig for those references.

I think that the primary forces of immigration were unemployment and prosecution, a tad lower in Maslow's hierarchy than better salaries.

 

[Pat Young]

This is a pretty good reference for UK farm hand salaries. I think that the equivalent US salary was about 25-30 cents a day, but I need to dig for those references.

I think that the primary forces of immigration were unemployment and prosecution, a tad lower in Maslow's hierarchy than better salaries.

Thanks for the link.