The Market Revolution created many social conflicts. One conflict was the conflict between labor and management. The mass production of goods led to the creation of a class of people with low skills. These people were paid poorly and were treated as replaceable parts of the factory. In many circumstances, the children of these poor workers went to work in the same bad conditions and stayed in the jobs as long as physically possible, thus creating generational poverty. The people who owned the factories grew rich off the labor of others—this led to a class divide between the haves and the have-nots. This social conflict would bubble over during the Gilded Age in the form of labor strikes and violent protests.

Another aspect of social unrest from the Market Revolution was caused by more women working outside the home. Women took jobs in factories and were often paid less since factory owners never thought that women could be the primary breadwinner of the household. As more women left the home to work, they started to agitate for more political rights. This is part of what led to the suffrage movement.

A major aspect of social unrest from the Market Revolution is xenophobia. Xenophobia in the United States was tied to the idea that immigrants were taking jobs from native-born Americans. This led to the growth of hate groups as well as anti-immigrant legislation.