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?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige5141mo ago

The welding thing is a good example of how people overlook the trades. My uncle was a master carpenter for 30 years and he always said the pay was solid compared to what friends made in offices (especially when you factor in the pension). It's wild that a chimney sweep in the 1920s could out-earn a factory worker by that much, those skills were clearly in high demand back then.

noahbaker3mo ago

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

paul1173mo 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.