Part-Year Operation in Nineteenth Century American Manufacturing: Evidence from the 1870 and 1880 Censuses

Using unpublished data contained in samples from the manuscripts of the 1870 and 1880 censuses of manufactures, we examine the extent and correlates of part-year manufacturing during the late nineteenth century. These data are the earliest comprehensive estimates available and, while the typical manufacturing plant operated "full-time," part-year operation was not uncommon. The likelihood of part-year operation varied across industries and location and with plant characteristics and workers in such plants received somewhat higher monthly wages than those in firms that operated year-round, compensating them somewhat for the loss and possible inconvenience.