The Productivity Frontier: American Manufacturing in 1850

Authors

• Dylan Devine, St. John Fisher University
• I. C. Gunasekara, St. John Fisher University
• Jinyan Chang, St. John Fisher UniversityFollow

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Keywords

fsc2026

Abstract

Using establishment-level data from the 1850 Census of Manufactures, we examine what drove labor productivity during a pivotal moment in American industrialization — when firms were rapidly adopting mechanical power and capital investment, but productivity gains remained uneven across industries and regions.

Research Question: Did manufacturing establishments in 1850 that utilized greater capital and mechanical power — whether steam or water— achieve higher output per worker, and did the productivity returns to capital and power source vary across industries and states?

Comments

Student poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026

Econ 314 Class Project: Inside the 1850 Factories: An Empirical Group Project of U.S. Manufacturing by Econ 314 Class (Group 5)

Publication Information

Devine, Dylan; Gunasekara, I. C.; and Chang, Jinyan, "The Productivity Frontier: American Manufacturing in 1850" (2026). Fisher Showcase 2026. Paper 29.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/fsc2026/29

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