Question

In 1845, many mill girls earned 40 cents a day for working 12 hours. In 2001, the minimum, or lowest allowed, wage in the United States was $5.15 hour. About how much did the mill girls earn an hour?

Answer 1

3 1/3 cents per hour

Explanation:

The 1845 earnings per hour were ...

(40 cents)/(12 hours) = (10/3) cents/hour = 3 1/3 cents/hour

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Comment on the rate of increase

That's an average rate of increase of wages of about 3.28% per year, substantially higher than the 2.04% average rate of inflation over that period. The mill girls' wage is roughly equivalent to $0.78 per hour in 2001 dollars.