$1,000 in 1840
Life in 1840
In 1840, United States's average annual wage was approximately $110. This means $1000 represented roughly 472.7 weeks of average earnings — a luxury purchase. A loaf of bread cost approximately $0.025 and monthly rent was around $1.8.
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These calculations are estimates based on United States's Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U; Warren & Pearson (pre-1913); Federal Reserve. Pre-1913 values reconstructed from commodity price indices. Civil War inflation 1861–1865 reflected. Results may differ from other inflation calculators. See our Methodology and Sources for full details.