The Market Revolution Statistics
By the Numbers
Total value of foreign exports to the United States in 1814: $13 million
Total value of foreign exports to the United States in 1816: $151 million4
Value of goods transported annually on the Erie Canal by 1830: $15 million
Value of goods transported annually on the Erie Canal by 1850: $200 million5
Barrels of flour milled in Rochester, New York and transported to New York City in 1818: 26,000
Barrels of flour milled in Rochester, New York and transported to New York City in 1828, three years after the completion of the Erie Canal: 200,000
Barrels of flour milled in Rochester New York and transported to New York City in 1839: 500,0006
Percentage of the workforce employed in agriculture in 1820: 79%
Percentage of the workforce employed in agriculture in 1850: 55%7
Percentage of the national income generated by manufacturing in 1810: 6%
Percentage of the national income generated by manufacturing in 1830: 11%8
Cost per ton per mile to transport goods overland between Buffalo and New York City in 1817: 19.2¢
Cost per ton per mile to transport goods on the Erie Canal in 1850: 0.8¢9