I was looking at some old trade records from the 1920s and found a surprising detail

I was reading a history of our trade in a library book about old city jobs. It said that in 1925, a master sweep in Chicago could earn about $1,200 a year. That was more than double what a factory worker made back then. I never realized the trade was that well paid historically. It makes you think about how the value of skilled work has changed. Has anyone else come across old pay rates that surprised them?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahbaker2mo ago

That's a wild pay gap, makes sense for a skilled trade though.

paul1172mo ago

My buddy Jake was a barista for years, barely scraping by on tips. He got into welding on a whim, took a six month course. Landed a union job last year making triple what he ever pulled in coffee. The guy bought a house this spring, something he never thought possible. It's crazy how fast things can change with the right skills.