In 1860, male spinners in textile mills worked long, exhausting days, typically 10 to 14 hours, operating fast-moving machinery in hot, dusty, and dangerous conditions. Their labor powered America’s growing industrial economy, but it didn’t pay much. In Massachusetts, spinners earned about 63 cents a day, or $196.56 a year. Rhode Island paid slightly better, at 95 cents a day, or $296.40 a year. Still, neither income offered a comfortable life. In today’s dollars, that’s about $7,000 to $9,000 a year. To put it in perspective, gold was priced at $20.67 per ounce, meaning a year’s wages in Massachusetts was worth less than 10 ounces of gold.
While there was no federal income tax yet, spinners often lost wages to deductions, for company housing, tools, or repairs to damaged machines. Despite the hardships, these workers played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for America’s economic rise.
The cost of living also varied by state. Massachusetts offered cheaper groceries: flour was 4¢ per pound, butter 22¢, and eggs 20¢ per dozen. In Rhode Island, most food items were noticeably more expensive, butter was 46¢, eggs 36¢, and beef often double the Massachusetts price. Even common items like tea, coffee, and sugar cost significantly more.
But Rhode Island had an edge in housing. A four-room apartment there cost $3.39 per month, compared to $4.45 in Massachusetts. Boarding and land prices were also cheaper in Rhode Island. So while groceries stretched further in Massachusetts, rent and housing were more affordable in Rhode Island, forcing workers to weigh the cost of food against the cost of shelter.