Digital History
| Age Distribution of Wisconsin Farmers, 1860 | ||
| Age | Proportion owning no land | Land worth $1,000 or more |
| 20-29 | 44 | 15 |
| 30-39 | 13 | 39 |
| 40-49 | 6 | 39 |
Questions To Think About
1. How likely were young men in Wisconsin to own land?
2. How likely were older men in Wisconsin to own no land?
| Cost of Making a Farm, Western New York State, 1821 | |
| Clearing 30 acres at $10 per acre | $300 |
| Fencing | $70 |
| Log house and frame barn | $200 |
| Outhouse, well, orchard | $150 |
| 1 pair oxen | $50 |
| 1 horse | $50 |
| 2 cows | $40 |
| 2 hogs | $10 |
| 10 sheep | $50 |
| Plow, harness, tools | $50 |
| Purchase 50 acres at $2 per acre | $100 |
| Essentials for family consumption before first crop | $75 |
| Total | $1,145 |
Questions To Think About
1. Western land has sometimes been considered a "safety valve" for American workers. Do you think that a laboring American could afford to start a farm?
2. How would a family acquire the money to start a farm?
| Percentage of American Labor Force in Agriculture | |
| 1800 | 83 percent |
| 1810 | 84 percent |
| 1820 | 79 percent |
| 1830 | 71 percent |
| 1840 | 63 percent |
| 1850 | 55 percent |
| 1860 | 53 percent |
| Agricultural Productivity | ||
| 1800 | 1970 | |
| Wheat | ||
| worker-hours per acre | 56 | 3 |
| yield per acre | 15 | 31 |
| Cotton | ||
| worker-hours per acre | 185 | 24 |
| yield per acre | 147 | 438 |
| Occupational Distribution | ||
| 1820 | 1860 | |
| Agriculture | 79 percent | 53 percent |
| Mining | 0.4 percent | 1.6 percent |
| Construction | -- | 4.7 percent |
| Manufacturing | 3 percent | 14 percent |
| Trade | -- | 8 perccent |
| Transport | 1.6 percent | 6.4 percent |
| Service | 4.1 percent | 6.4 percent |
Questions To Think About
1. Why do you think the proportion of Americans working in agriculture declined?
2. What kinds of work might non-agricultural workers do for a living?