I- %, 3;

I f f I

labor and material

requirements

for college housing

construction

Dayton & Mont 10: 

Public: Lio .

J U L 2 0 i9 o

DOCUMENT CULL t

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| lb.

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Bulletin No. 1441

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

W. Willard Wirtz, Secretary

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Ewan Clague, Commissioner

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
labor and material 

requirements

for college housing

W. Willard Wirtz, Secretary

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 

Ewan Clague, Commissioner

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.G., 20402 - Price 30 cents

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P reface

This study of total labor and m aterial requirem ents for the 

con stru ction of colleg e housing is the eighth in a se rie s of studies of 

various types of construction that might be affected by future governmental action. Studies w ere published previously for schools, highways, 

Federal office buildings, hospitals, civil works activities of the A rm y 

Corps of Engineers, public housing, and private one-fam ily dwelling 

units. C u rren tly in p r o g r e s s are a study of sewage d isp osa l fa cilitie s 

and a re study of sch ool co n stru ctio n re q u ire m e n ts.

The studies are being con du cted in the B u re a u ’ s D ivision of 

Productivity M easurem ent, Lloyd A. Prochnow, Chief, under the general 

direction of Leon G reenberg, Assistant C om m issioner for Productivity 

and Technological Developm ents. This bulletin was prepared by Stanley F. 

M iller under the supervision of Jam es F. W alker. Herman J. Rothberg 

was in charge of collecting and tabulating the statistical data.

The Bureau wishes to acknowledge the generous cooperation of 

the Housing and Home Finance Agency and its community Facilities Adm inistration in furnishing some of the basic data used for this report. The 

Bureau also appreciates the cooperation of many general contractors and 

subcontractors who supplied the m aterials information on which estim ates 

for indirect labor requirem ents are based.

1

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CO N TEN TS

P age

I n t r o d u c t io n .................................................................... 1

N ature o f the s u r v e y .................................................................................................. 2

G en era l su rv ey fin din gs and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s ................................................. 4

P r o je c t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .............................................................................................. 6

P r o je c t c o s t s ............................................ * ............................................................... 8

O n -s ite m a n -h ou r r e q u ir e m e n t s ........................................ 10

R eq u irem en ts by o c c u p a t io n .......................................................... 12

A p p re n tice m a n - h o u r s ............................................................................................. 14

G en era l and sp e cia l tra d e s c o n t r a c to r s 1 m a n - h o u r s .............................. 14

C ost o f d ire ct w a g e s ........................................................................................ 18

O ff-s ite em p loym en t .............................................................................. 21

B u ild e r s ’ o ff-s it e e m p lo y m e n t .................................. 23

E m ploym en t in tran sp ortation , trad e, and s e r v i c e ................................... 23

’’L a st m anufacturing sta ge” em ploym ent .............................................................24

E m ploym en t in se co n d a ry a ctiv itie s ................................................. 24

C on stru ction tim e .................................................................... 24

E m p loym en t by co n stru ctio n p e rio d s . ....................................... 25

M a te ria ls u s e d .................................. 25

A ppen dix. S cope and m ethod o f su rvey .................................. 32

C h a r a c te r is tics of the u n iv erse and s e le ctio n o f the sam ple .... 32

M an -h ou r e s t i m a t e s .............................................................................. 32

C o lle ctio n o f o n -s ite m a n -h ou r data ..........................................33

O ff-s ite m a n - h o u r s ..................................................................... 33

P r im a r y d istrib u tion in d u stries em p loym en t . ..............................................33

P r im a r y m an u factu rin g em ploym en t . 34

S econ d a ry em p loym en t in all in d u stries ...................................................... 34

T ota l m a n -h ou r r e q u i r e m e n t s ................................................. 34

T a b le s:

1. N um ber o f c o lle g e housing p r o je c ts and av era ge co n stru ctio n

c o s t p er squ are foot, by s e le cte d c h a r a c te r is tic s and

re g io n , 1960-61 .................................. 9

2. O n -s ite m a n -h ou r req u irem en ts fo r c o lle g e housing p r o je c ts ,

by s e le cte d c h a r a c te r is tic s and reg ion , 1960-61 ......................... 11

3. O n -s ite m a n -h ou r req u irem en ts per $ 1 ,0 0 0 of c o lle g e housing

co n stru ctio n con tra ct, and p e rce n t d istrib u tion , by occu p a tion 

and re g io n , 1 9 6 0 - 6 1 .......................................................... 13

4 . O n -s ite m a n -h ou r req u irem en ts per $ 1,000 o f c o lle g e h ousing

co n stru ctio n co n tra ct, by p ro p o rtio n o f lo w e r sk ille d w o rk e rs 

e m p loy ed and reg ion , 1960-61 ............................................................. 15

5. A p p re n tice h ou rs as a p ercen t of total m a n -h o u rs w ork ed on

c o lle g e h ou sin g p r o je c ts , by occu p a tion and re g ion ,

1960-61 ..........

iii

1 6

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C O N TE N TS- - Continued

P a ge

T a b le s - -C on tin u ed

6. P e r c e n t o f total o n -s ite m a n -h ou r req u ire m e n ts fo r c o lle g e

h ou sin g p r o je c ts , by type o f co n tra cto r and re g io n ,

1960-61 ................................................................................................................. 17

7. A v e ra g e h ou rly o n -s ite earn in gs and w ages as a p e rce n t o f

co n stru ctio n c o s t fo r c o lle g e h ou sin g p r o je c ts , by s e le cte d 

c h a r a c te r is tic s and re g io n , 1960-61 20

8. M a n -h ou r req u ire m e n ts p er $ 1,000 o f c o lle g e h ou sin g

co n stru ctio n co n tra ct, by p rod u cin g s e cto r and stage o f 

m a n u fa ctu re, 1960-61 22

9. C ost o f m a te ria ls p er $ 1, 000 o f c o lle g e h ou sin g co n stru ctio n

co n tra ct, by type o f m a te ria l and reg io n , 1960-61 28

C h arts:

1. D istrib u tion o f 238 m a n -h o u rs fo r each $ 1, 000 o f c o lle g e

h ou sin g co n stru ctio n co n tra ct, 1960-61 ............................................. 5

2. P e r c e n t d istrib u tion of o n -s ite w ages and m a te r ia ls u sed fo r

each $ 1, 000 o f c o lle g e h ou sin g co n s tru ctio n co n tra ct,

1960-61 ................................................................................................................. 7

3. O n -s ite m a n -h o u rs fo r each $ 1 ,0 0 0 o f c o lle g e housing

co n stru ctio n co n tra ct, by d e c ile o f co n stru ctio n tim e,

1960-61 ................................................................................................................. 27

IV

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L A B O R AND M A T E R IA L REQ U IREM EN TS

F O R C O L L E G E HOUSING CON STRU CTION

In trod u ction

N ew co n stru ctio n is a m a jo r com pon en t o f the N ation ’ s output o f 

goods and s e r v ic e s and an im p ortan t s o u rce of em p loym en t. Jobs a re 

c re a te d not on ly at co n stru ctio n sites but a lso in m any m an u factu rin g, 

tra d e s e r v ic e , and tra n sp orta tion in d u stries w hich m ak e, se ll, and d e liv e r 

m a te ria ls and equipm ent re q u ire d in co n stru ctio n p r o c e s s e s . B eca u se o f 

its fa r -r e a c h in g em p loym en t im p a ct, a v ig o ro u s co n stru ctio n in du stry is 

re g a rd e d as a sign ifica n t aid in avoidin g c y c lic a l u n em ploym en t.

T o p ro v id e factu al data on the em p loym en t gen eratin g e ffe c ts o f 

co n stru ctio n exp en d itu res, the B u reau o f L a b or S ta tistics has a continuing 

p ro g ra m o f stu dies to m e a su re la b o r and m a te ria l req u ire m e n ts fo r v a rio u s 

segm en ts o f the co n stru ctio n in d u stry. C on stru ction o f c o lle g e h ou sin g w as 

s e le cte d fo r study b eca u se this segm en t is one w hich cou ld be sign ifica n tly 

a ffe cte d by govern m en ta l a ction .

U nder the C o lle g e H ousing L oan P r o g ra m , title IV of the H ousing 

A ct o f 1950 (P u b lic Law 8 1 -4 8 5 ), ap p roved A p r il 20, 1950, and su bsequ en tly 

am ended, lo n g -te r m loan s are m ade at low in te re st ra tes to fin an ce the 

co n stru ctio n o f d o r m ito r ie s , m a r r ie d student and fa cu lty h ou sin g, dining 

h a lls, c o lle g e u n ion s, and in fir m a rie s w h ere such a s sis ta n ce is not o th erw ise 

a v a ila b le on equ a lly fa v o ra b le te r m s . The p ro g ra m w as expanded in 1955 to 

in clu de student u n ion s, dining h alls and s im ila r s e r v ic e fa c ilitie s . It w as 

expanded again in 1957 to include loan s to h osp ita ls fo r h ousing student n u rse s, 

in tern s, and re sid e n t p h y sicia n s.

The H ousing and H om e F in an ce A g e n cy , in its 17th annual re p o rt, 

in d ica tes that as o f the end o f 1963, a p p lica tion s fo r about 3 ,0 0 0 loan s had 

been r e c e iv e d fro m c o lle g e s and u n iv e rsitie s sin ce the beginning o f the p r o ­

gram in 1950. The total loan re q u ests am ounted to m o r e than $3 b illio n . O f 

th ese, 1, 992 had b een a p p roved and tota led $ 2. 1 b illio n . T h re e q u a rters o f 

the e lig ib le c o lle g e s and u n iv e rsitie s in the cou n try have p a rticip a te d in the 

p ro g ra m and th eir en rollm en ts accou n t fo r m o r e than 85 p e rce n t o f the stu ­

dents in the e lig ib le in stitu tion s.

H osp ita ls w ith n u rsin g s ch o o ls , in tern s, and resid e n t p h ysicia n s 

have file d a total o f 174 loan a p p lica tion s in the am ount o f $ 107. 1 m illio n .

One hun dred th ree o f th ese have been a p p roved fo r $5 8 . 1 m illio n .

1

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z

D uring 1963, under the co lle g e housing loan p r o g r a m , 231 loans 

totalin g $275 m illio n w e re com p le te d p rovid in g livin g a cco m m o d a tio n s fo r 

a lm o st 5 9 ,0 0 0 students and fa cu lty m e m b e rs and 1 ,5 4 6 student n u rse s, 

in tern s, and re sid en t d o c to r s .

N ature of the Survey

T h is re p o rt is b a sed on the fin din gs in a su rvey of 43 c o lle g e h o u s ­

ing p r o je c ts w hich w e re a d m in istered by the C om m unity F a cilitie s A d m in ­

istra tio n (C F A ). The p r o je c ts w ere s e le cte d fr o m a listin g o f 201 p r o je c ts 

re p o rte d as being su bstan tially com p leted during ca len d a r y e a r 1961. The 

p r o je c ts s e le cte d w e re in va riou s States rep re se n ta tiv e o f the fou r broad 

g e o g ra p h ica l reg ion s o f the con term in ou s United S ta te s .1

The su rvey w as d esign ed p r im a r ily to d eterm in e m a n -h o u rs r e ­

q u ired fo r a fix e d -d o lla r volu m e ($ 1 ,0 0 0 ) of c o lle g e housing co n stru ctio n . 

M a n -h o u rs, as d efin ed fo r the su rv ey , include both o n -s ite and o ff-s it e 

co n stru ctio n em p loym en t and o ff-s it e em p loym en t re q u ire d to p ro d u ce , s e ll, 

and d e liv e r m a te ria ls u sed in co n stru ctio n . Data fo r o n -s ite la b o r include 

m a n -h o u rs fo r s u p e rv is o r y , en g in eerin g, c le r ic a l, and cu stod ia l e m p lo y e e s 

at co n stru ctio n sites and th ose fo r w o rk e rs in the co n stru ctio n tra d e s. Data 

w ere a lso obtained on w ages paid and tim in g o f em p loym en t. In form a tion fo r 

o ff-s it e la b o r in clu d es em p loym en t in a ctiv itie s of co n tr a c to r s such as o ffic e 

and w a reh ou sin g; building m a te ria ls and equipm ent m an u factu re and d is t r ibution; and fin a lly em p loym en t in a ll oth er in d u stries w hich a re a ffe cte d 

d ir e c tly o r in d ir e c tly by p rod u ction and d istrib u tion of building m a te r ia ls , 

fro m raw m a te ria ls to the fin al m anufacturing sta ge.

C erta in types of em p loym en t, h o w e v e r, a re not c o v e r e d by the 

su rv e y . M a n -h ou rs expended on p rep a ra tion of plans and s p e cifica tio n s fo r 

p r o je c ts a re exclu d ed , as is la b o r tim e in v olved in in sta lla tion s by pu blic 

u tility e m p lo y e e s , site p rep a ra tion , la n d sca p in g, and stre e t and sew er w ork 

not in clu d ed in the co n stru ctio n co n tra cts .

1 The States in clu ded in each of the re g io n s a re as fo llo w s : 

N o r th e a s t--C o n n e cticu t, M aine, M a ssa ch u se tts, New H a m p sh ire, New 

J e r s e y , New Y o rk , P en n sylva n ia , Rhode Islan d, and V erm on t; N orth 

C e n tr a l--Illin o is , Indiana, Iow a, K a n sa s, M ich igan , M in n esota, M is s o u r i, 

N eb ra sk a , N orth D akota, O hio, South Dakota and W isco n sin ; South - - 

A la b a m a , A rk a n sa s, D ela w a re, D istrict of C olu m b ia, F lo r id a , G e o rg ia , 

K entucky, L ou isia n a , M arylan d, M is s is s ip p i, N orth C a rolin a , O klahom a, 

South C a rolin a , T e n n e sse e , T e x a s, V irg in ia , and W est V irg in ia ; W e s t- - 

A r iz o n a , C a lifo rn ia , C o lo ra d o , Idaho, M ontana, N evada, New M e x ic o , 

O reg on , U tah,W ashington and W yom in g.

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3

E stim a tes w e re m ade of la b o r gen era ted by m on ey expended fo r 

c o n t r a c t o r s 1 overh ea d . The m a jo r p ortion of such overh ea d co n s ists of 

a d m in istra tiv e s a la r ie s . E m ploym en t fo r oth er overh ea d ite m s, such as 

ren t, bon d s, in su ra n ce , taxes (including p a y ro ll ta x e s ), frin g e ben efit p a y ­

m en ts, and o ffic e su p p lies, was estim a ted fr o m se co n d a ry data. E m p lo y ­

m ent cre a te d by the respen din g o f w ages and p ro fits of w o rk e rs and th eir 

e m p lo y e r s - -the m u ltip lie r e ffe c t --w a s not c o n s id e re d w ithin the scop e of 

this study.

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4

General Survey Findings and Characteristics

C on stru ction o f c o lle g e housing p r o je c ts during 1960-61 2 cre a te d 

an estim a ted 238 m a n -h o u rs of em p loym en t fo r each $ 1 ,0 0 0 o f con stru ctio n 

co n tra ct c o s t. E m p loym en t at co n stru ctio n site s a ccou n ted fo r 94 m a n ­

h ou rs, w hile 144 m a n -h o u rs w ere re q u ire d fo r v a rio u s o ff-s it e a ctiv itie s . 

(See ch art 1.) The la tter in clu ded all em p loym en t re q u ire d to p rod u ce and 

d e liv e r m a te ria ls and equipm ent in sta lled by o n -s ite w o rk e r s , as w ell as 

em p loym en t re q u ire d by co n stru ctio n c o n tr a c to r s fo r a d m in istra tiv e, w a r e ­

h ou sin g, and ce rta in oth er o ff-s it e op era tio n s. O ff-s ite m a n -h o u rs (ex cep t 

th ose fo r the co n stru ctio n industry) a re d ev elop ed fro m c o s t data rela tin g to 

the value o f m a te ria ls u sed at con stru ctio n sites (in clu din g ren tal c o s ts or 

d e p re cia tio n ch a rg e s fo r co n stru ctio n equipm ent). T ota l m a n -h ou r r e q u ir e ­

m en ts w e re d istrib u ted as fo llo w s:

M a n -h ou rs p er $ 1,000 c

co n stru ctio n co n tra ct

N um ber P e r c e n t

T otal ................................................................... 238 100

O n -s ite c o n s t r u c t io n ....................................... 94 39

O ff- s i t e ..................................................................... 144 61

C o n s t r u c t io n ...................................................... 13 5

M a n u fa ctu rin g .................................................... 73 31

T ra n sp o rta tio n , tra d e, and s e r v ic e . . . 42 18

O ther in d u stries (in clu din g m ining) . . . 16 7

Length o f co n stru ctio n tim e fo r the a v era g e p r o je c t w as 58 w eek s, 

p rov id in g the equivalent o f continuous w o rk fo r about 46 w o rk e r s (54 m a n - 

y e a rs) at co n stru ctio n s ite s . O ff-s ite a ctiv itie s p ro v id e d on a v era g e the 

equ ivalen t of 1 yea r of em p loym en t fo r 74 w o r k e r s . 3

2 C on stru ction o f the p r o je c ts w as a cco m p lis h e d o v e r the p e rio d 

fro m late 1959 to e a r ly 1962, but the g re a te r p ortion took p la ce during 

1 96 0-61.

3 The annual em p loym en t estim ate for co n stru ctio n w o rk e rs is 

b a se d on 50 tim e s the 1961 a v era ge w ork w eek o f 36 h ou rs fo r gen era l 

building and sp e cia l trade c o n tr a c to r s , a cco rd in g to the B u rea u 's e m p lo y ­

m ent and earn in gs s e r ie s . F o r other types of em p loym en t, 2 ,0 0 0 h ou rs 

w e re c o n s id e r e d as 1 y e a r 's em p loym en t.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Chart 1. Distribution of 238 Man-Hours for Each

$1,000 of College Housing Construction Contract,

1960-61

M anufacturing

Transportation,

Trade and Services

All Other

Industries

S E C O N D A R Y

M A N -H O U R S

(62)

Includes 3 m a n - h o u r s in mining and other industries.

U N ITE D S TA TE S D E P A R TM E N T O F LABO R

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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6

A t the 1963 r a te , co n stru ctio n of c o lle g e h ou sin g h as c re a te d 

about 14, 000 jo b s an n ually fo r o n -site a c tiv itie s and ap p ro x im ate ly 20, 000 

fo r r e la te d o ff- s ite w ork . C u rren t e stim a te s in d icate that co lle g e e n r o llm e n ts w ill to tal about 7 m illio n stu den ts (100 p ercen t in c r e a se ) by 1975.

The study d isc lo se d w ide v a ria tio n s in m an -h o u r and m a te r ia l 

re q u ire m e n ts am ong p r o je c ts , re fle c tin g d iffe re n c e s in type and siz e of 

p r o je c ts , g e o g ra p h ic a l lo c a tio n s, and lo c a l co n stru ctio n p r a c tic e s . S ig n ifican t v a ria tio n s w ere noted in such re la te d ite m s a s a v e ra g e h ou rly e a rn in g s 

and site w a g e s a s a p e rce n ta g e of co n stru ctio n c o st. M a te ria l p u rc h a se s 

am ounted to about 54 p e rce n t of the c o n stru ctio n e x p e n d itu re s, w hile w ag es 

fo r o n -site m a n -h o u rs w ere about 29 p e rc e n t. (See ch art 2 .) E a rn in g s fo r 

o n -site la b o r a v e ra g e d $ 3 . 13 p e r hour (1960-61 d ata).

P r o je c t C h a r a c t e r is tic s

The 43 p r o je c ts se le c te d in the sam p le fo r th is study v a r ie d in 

siz e fro m one with about 5 ,0 0 0 sq u a re fe e t to one con tain in g 2 7 9 ,0 0 0 sq u a re 

fe e t; the a v e ra g e w as about 66, 000 sq u a re fe e t. P r o je c t co n stru ctio n c o s ts 

(exclu d in g site p re p a ra tio n and planning c o sts) ra n g e d fro m about $ 7 4 ,0 0 0 

to a lm o st $ 4 m illio n ; the a v e ra g e w as a p p ro x im a te ly $1 m illio n .

A m o st 91 p e rce n t of the p r o je c ts su rv e y e d in volved co n stru ctio n 

of b u ild in gs con tain in g only liv in g ac co m m o d atio n s fo r stu d en ts. The r e ­

m ain d e r w ere fo r p r o je c ts contain in g dining fa c ilit ie s o r student ac tiv ity 

a r e a s com b in ed w ith liv in g ac co m m o d a tio n s. L iv in g acco m m o d atio n s fo r 

about 10, 600 stu d en ts w ere p ro v id ed in 77 b u ild in g s--7 ad d ition al b u ild in gs 

p ro v id ed only dining fa c ilit ie s o r sp a c e fo r student a c tiv itie s . L o c a tio n s of 

p r o je c ts stu d ied w ere divided a lm o st eq u ally betw een m e tro p o litan and nonm e tro p o litan a r e a s ; h ow ever, in the South a lm o st th re e -fo u rth s of the p r o je c ts w ere in n on m etrop olitan a r e a s .

The p r o je c ts stu d ied w ere of th ree m a jo r str u c tu r a l fra m e ty p e s; 

re in fo rc e d co n crete (63 p e rce n t), lo a d -b e a rin g m a so n ry (16 p e rce n t), and 

s te e l (14 p e rc e n t). The rem ain in g 7 p ercen t w ere a com bin ation of r e in ­

fo rc e d co n crete and ste e l. E a c h of the ty p es h as a slig h tly d ifferen t d iv ision of m an -h o u r and m a te r ia l re q u ire m e n ts a s s o c ia t e d w ith its co n stru ctio n . 

A ll p r o je c ts excep t one h ad p r im a r ily m a so n ry e x te r io r s - - th e one excep tion 

u se d cu rta in w all e n tire ly fo r e x te r io r fac in g . A lm o st th re e -fo u rth s of the 

p r o je c ts w ere c o n stru c te d to p rovid e p a r tia l o r fu ll b a se m e n ts. P r o je c t s 

w ere a lm o st eq u ally divided betw een th o se havin g e le v a to r s and th o se not 

h avin g e le v a to r s . B a s e s fo r flo o r s on a ll p r o je c ts ex cep t one w as c o n str u c ­

te d of c o n c r e te - - c o v e r s fo r th e se flo o r s w ere r e s ilie n t tile in a ll excep t one 

p ro je c t which u se d w ood. About 70 p e rce n t of the p r o je c ts w ere c o n stru c te d 

with co n cre te ro o f d e c k s. F o r about 90 p e rce n t of the p r o je c ts stu d ied , 

b u ilt-u p ro o fin g w as u se d to co v er d e c k s.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Chart 2. Percent Distribution of On-Site Wages and

Materials Used for Each $1,000 of College Housing

Construction Contract, 1960-61

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8

P ro ject C osts

Construction cost per square foot for all projects averaged 

$15. 88. However, wide differences w ere noted in construction costs per 

square foot among the individual projects in the survey and by region.

F o r individual p r o je c ts , c o s ts p er sq u a re foot ra n g ed fro m about $ 10 to 

alm ost $28. A verage cost per square foot in the N ortheast region was 

21 p e rc e n t g r e a t e r than the U .S . a v e r a g e .

Construction costs per square foot in all geographical regions 

were generally greater for projects constructed in m etropolitan a re a s, and 

o n - site m an -h o u r r e q u ir e m e n ts p e r $ 1,000 of co n stru ction c o st on th ese 

p rojects w ere below average.

D ifferences in cost per square foot between regions m ay result 

from interaction of sev eral factors such as distance of projects from the 

sou rces of supply for various building m aterials, higher or lower wage 

co sts, sm aller or larger expenditures for such item s as heating and insulating m a te ria ls due to clim atic differences. C o sts are also influenced 

by the type of building constructed, which is reflected hot only by the basic 

structural type, but by differences in design qualities and durability. Cost 

figures presented in this study pertain to construction costs only. C on struction co sts per square foot, by selected ch aracteristics and by geographical 

region , a r e shown in table 1.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
T a b le 1. N u m b e r o f C o lle g e H o u sin g P r o je c t s and A v e r a g e C o n str u c tio n C o s t P e r S q u a re F o o t,

b y S e le c te d C h a r a c t e r is t ic s and R e g io n , 1 9 6 0 -6 1 1

United States Northeast North Central South West

C haracteristic

Number

Average 

cost per 

square 

foot

Number

Average 

cost per 

square 

foot

Number

Average 

cost per 

square 

foot

Number

Average 

cost per 

square 

foot

Number

Average 

cost per 

square 

foot

All p r o j e c t s ...................... 43 $ 15.88 1 0 $ 19. 18 1 1 $ 15. 86 14 $ 14.08 8 $14. 69

Location:

M etro politan a r e a ............. 2 0 $ 16.67 6 $ 19.71 5 $ 16. 11 4 $ 14. 23 5 $ 14.87

N onm etropolitan a r e a . . . 23 14. 91 4 17. 78 6 15. 38 1 0 14.01 3 14.46

Construction cost group: 

L e s s than $ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 . . . 26 16. 27 5 17. 29 6 18. 27 1 0 14. 90 5 15. 63

$ 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 and ov er . . . . 17 15.71 5 19. 85 5 15.09 4 13. 54 3 14.43

With e l e v a t o r s ......................... 2 0 16.36 6 19.49 5 1 6 . 26 6 14. 38 3 15. 35

Without e le v a to r s ................. 23 15. 10 4 18. 62 6 14. 69 8 13. 76 5 14. 21

C o n str u c tio n o f the p r o je c ts extended fr o m la te 1959 to e a r ly 1 9 6 2 , but the g r e a te r p o rtio n to o k p la c e du rin g 1 9 6 0 -6 1 . l

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10

On-Site Man-Hour R equirem ents

O n-site m an-hour requirem en ts v aried from a low of about 75 

m an-hours to a high of approxim ately 140. The average for all projects 

w as 93. 6 (table 2) p er $ 1,000 of co n tra c t c o st.

Owing to the lim ited number of p ro jects selected for the sam ple, 

it w as im practical to m ake an an alysis and arrive at definite conclusions 

relative to the wide differences in requirem ents observed for m ost of the 

various project ch ara cteristics. However, there does appear to be a 

definite relationship between m an-hour requirem ents and the size and/or 

location of p rojects.

A significant difference w as noted in the greater average number 

of m an-hours required for p ro jects located in the South. R equirem ents in 

this region were reported at one-fifth greater than the national average and 

alm ost one-third greater than the average for the West. In some c a se s, the 

greater m an-hour requirem ents w ere probably due to the size and location 

of p r o je c ts in this reg io n . A lm o st th re e - fo u r th s of the 14 p r o je c ts in the 

South had a c o n tra ct co n stru ction c o st below the national a v e r a g e of $ 1 m i l ­

lion. Seventy-one percent of the projects in the South w ere constructed in 

nonmetropolitan a r e a s.

Indications from other construction labor requirem ents studies 

m ade by the B ureau are that sm aller p ro jects constructed in nonm etropolitan a r e a s tend to re q u ir e m o r e o n - site m a n -h o u rs p e r $ 1,000 of c o n s t r u c ­

tion co st than do la r g e r p ro je c ts con structed in m etropolitan a r e a s . 

G enerally, sm all projects constructed in nonmetropolitan a re a s present 

l e s s opportunity to u tilize lab o r sav in g equipm ent and p r o c e d u r e s . T h e re 

is a greater tendency to use lower skilled w ork ers at low wage ra te s in 

place of such equipment and procedures. This tendency is in part borne 

out by the fact that in m etropolitan a re a s, 63 percent of the projects studied 

r e q u ir e d l e s s than the a v e r a g e num b er of o n - site m a n -h o u rs p er $ 1,000 of 

construction co st, and alm o st 75 percen t of the p ro je c ts rep orted higher 

than average hourly earnings. Conversely, in nonmetropolitan a re a s where 

62 percent of the projects required m ore than the average number of m an ­

h ou rs, av era g e hourly earn in gs w ere lower for about 60 percen t of the 

p rojects studied.

C om parison of m an-hour requirem ents for projects with elevators 

and those without elevators rev eals that those without elevators required 

c o n sid e r a b ly m o r e m a n -h o u rs p er $ 1,000 of co n stru ctio n co st. A n a ly sis 

of these requirem ents rev eals, again, that size and location of p rojects are 

m ore than likely to be the dominant factors rather than the inclusion of 

exclusion of elevators.

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
T a b le 2. O n -S ite M a n -H o u r R e q u ir e m e n ts fo r C o lle g e H o u sin g P r o je c t s ,

b y S e le c te d C h a r a c t e r is t ic s and R e g io n , 1 9 6 0 -6 1 1

United States Northeast North Central South West

C haracteristic

On--site m an-■ hours per --

$ 1,000 

of

cost

1 , 0 0 0

square

feet

$ 1,000

of

cost

1 , 0 0 0 

square 

feet

$ 1,000 

of

cost

1 , 0 0 0 

square 

feet

$1,000

of

cost

1 , 0 0 0

square

feet

$ 1,000 

of

cost

1 , 0 0 0 

square 

feet

All projects ...................... 93. 6 1,486 85.0 1,630 8 6 . 9 1, 378 111.5 1,571 84. 3 1, 239

Location:

M etro politan a r e a .............

N onm etropolitan a r e a . . .

8 6 . 8 

1 0 2 . 9

1,447 

1, 534

85.0

85.0

1,676

1,512

83.4

93.9

1, 344 

1,444

9 8 . 8 

117. 9

1,407 

1,651

84.0

84.8

1, 249 

1 , 226

Construction cost group: 

L e s s than $ 1 ,0 0 0 , 000 . . . 

$ 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 and ov er ....

103. 3 

89. 3

1 , 682 

1,403

84. 7

85. 1

1,465

1 , 6 9 0

104. 5 

80. 1

1, 909 

1, 209

114. 7 

109. 2

1,710 

1,478

91.4 

82. 2

1,429 

1, 185

With e l e v a t o r s .........................

Without e le v a to r s .................

8 8 . 7 

102. 3

1,451 

1,544

8 6 . 2 

82. 7

1,681 

1,540

82. 6 

100. 7

1, 344 

1,479

1 0 1 . 0 

125. 8

1,447 

1,731

82. 1 

8 6 . 1

1 , 261 

1, 223

C o n s tr u c tio n o f the p r o je c ts exten ded fr o m la te 1959 to e a r ly 1 9 6 2 , but the g r e a te r p o rtio n took p la c e during 1 9 6 0 -6 1 . l

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1 2

M an -hour re q u ire m e n ts w ere the h ig h est fo r p r o je c ts c o n stru c te d 

w ith lo a d -b e a rin g m a so n ry fra m in g ; re in fo rc e d co n cre te str u c tu r e s r e ­

q u ire d the next h ig h est num ber of m a n -h o u rs. S tr u c tu r e s u sin g ste e l fo r 

fra m in g re q u ire d the th ird h ig h est n um ber of m a n -h o u rs. T h re e p r o je c ts 

stu d ied u se d a com bin ation of ste e l and re in fo rc e d c o n c re te and re p o rte d 

the le a s t n um ber of m an -h o u rs p e r $ 1 ,0 0 0 of co n stru ctio n c o st. It is not 

c le a r , h ow ever, w hether the v a ria tio n s a r e due to str u c tu r a l d iffe re n c e s 

o r if s iz e s and lo c a tio n s of the p r o je c ts a r e the m ain con tribu tin g fa c t o r s . 

P r o je c t co n stru ctio n c o s ts w ere g r e a te r than a v e ra g e fo r th o se u sin g a 

com b in ation of fra m in g m a t e r ia ls . A ll p r o je c ts (six ) c o n stru c te d with 

ste e l fra m in g in d icated c o s ts below a v e ra g e and a ll excep t one of th e se 

p r o je c ts w ere lo c a te d in n on m etropolitan a r e a s . R e in fo rc e d co n crete w as 

u se d in co n stru ctio n of 50 p ercen t of the p r o je c ts lo c a te d in n on m etrop olitan 

a r e a s and fo r a lm o st fo u r-fifth s of th ose in m e tro p o litan a r e a s . Owing to 

in su ffic ie n t d ata fo r som e ty p es of co n stru ctio n in a ll re g io n s, c o m p a riso n s 

a r e not p re se n te d by reg io n ; h ow ever, the follow ing tab u lation p r e se n ts data 

p ertain in g to the to tal p r o je c ts su rv ey ed :

T ype of N um ber of M an -h o u rs p e r C o st p e r

s tr u c tu r a l fra m in g p r o je c ts $ 1 ,0 0 0 of c o st sq u a re foot

A ll p r o j e c t s .................... 43 9 3 .6 $ 1 5 .8 8

R e in fo rc e d c o n c r e t e .......... 27 9 6 .9 1 6 .0 8

L o a d - b e a r in g m a so n ry . . 7 102.0 15.4 7

S te e l .......................................... 6 92. 2 17. 53

C om bin ation (s te e l and 

re in fo rc e d co n crete) . . . 3 77. 1 14. 88

R e q u ire m e n ts by O ccupation

R egio n al v a ria tio n s in m an -h ou r re q u ire m e n ts fo r d ifferen t o c c u ­

p ation s (tab le 3) r e fle c t d iffe re n c e s in d esig n , w ork p r a c tic e s , and w age 

r a t e s . The g r e a t e s t v a ria tio n s a r e noted in the d iv isio n betw een sk ille d 

and u n sk ille d o ccu p atio n s. F o r p u rp o se s of th is study, la b o r e r s , h e lp e r s, 

and te n d e rs w ere c la s s if ie d a s low er sk ille d w o r k e r s. In the South, o v er 40 

p e rc e n t of the o n -site m an -h o u r re q u ire m e n ts w ere accou n ted fo r by th e se 

low er sk ille d w o r k e rs, w h e re a s, in the other re g io n s, the ran ge w as fro m 

about 25 to 30 p e rc e n t.

R egio n al v a ria tio n s w ithin the sk ille d o ccu p ation s a r e r e la te d m o st 

d ire c tly to d iffe re n c e s in str u c tu r a l ty p e s. D istin ctiv e d iffe re n c e s a r e noted 

fo r th o se p r o je c ts u sin g re in fo rc e d co n cre te fo r str u c tu r a l fra m in g . M an ­

hour re q u ire m e n ts on th e se p r o je c ts a r e high fo r la th e r s , iro n w o rk e rs, and 

p lu m b e rs, but low fo r c a rp e n te rs and p a in te r s. M an -hour re q u ire m e n ts, of 

c o u r se , a r e high fo r b r ic k la y e r s on th ose p r o je c ts c o n stru c te d with lo ad - 

b e a rin g m a so n ry .

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table 3. On-Site Man-Hour Requirem ents per $1,0 0 0 of College Housing Construction Contract, 

and Percent Distribution, by Occupation and Region, 1960-61 1

Occupation

United States Northeast North Central South West

Man-hours

worked Percent Man-hours

worked Percent Man-hours

worked Percent Man-hours

worked Percent Man-hours

worked Percent

All o c c u p a t io n s ............................................. 93.6 100.0 85.0 100.0 86.9 100.0 111.5 100.0 84. 3 100.0

General su p e rv iso rs........................................ 2.4 2.6 2. 1 2. 5 2. 2 2. 5 3.0 2.6 2. 2 2.6

P r o fe s sio n a l, technical, and c le ric a l . . . .8 .8 1. 1 1.3 .9 1.0 . 7 .6 (2/) (2/)

Carpenters ........................................................... 15.8 16.9 15. 2 17.9 12.8 14.7 17. 2 15.5 21. 3 25.3

B r ic k la y e r s ......................................................... 9.4 10.0 9.8 11.5 9.5 10.9 10. 5 9.4 4.9 5.9

P l u m b e r s ................................................................ 9.1 9.7 9.4 11. 1 9.0 10. 3 9.2 8.3 8.6 10. 1

E le c tric ia n s ......................................................... 6. 2 6 .6 7. 1 8. 3 6.0 6.9 6.0 5.4 5. 2 6. 2

Iron w orkers ......................................................... 3.6 3.9 4. 3 5. 1 3.9 4.5 2.9 2.6 3. 1 3.6

Reinforcing ...................................................... 2. 2 2.4 2. 8 3. 3 2. 2 2. 5 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.9

Stru ctu ral........................................................... .7 .8 .4 .5 .7 .8 .8 .7 1. 2 1.5

Ornamental ...................................................... .7 .7 1. 1 1. 3 1. 1 1.2 (2/) (2/) . 2 .3

P ain te rs.................................................................. 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.5 2.9 3.4 37 5 37 1 5.0 5.9

Cement fin ish e rs............................................... 1.7 1.9 1.6 1.9 1.4 1.6 2. 1 1.9 2.0 2.4

P l a s t e r e r s .............................................................. 1.7 1.8 .6 . 7 2 .4 2. 8 2. 3 2.0 1. 3 1.5

Operating engineers ........................................ 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.9 2. 2

Lathers .................................................................. 1.5 1.6 .7 .9 2. 1 2.4 1.6 1.4 1. 3 1.5

S h eet-m etal w o rk ers ...................................... 1.4 1.5 2.0 2.4 1.5 1.8 . 7 .6 1. 3 1.6

T ile s e t te r s and t e r r a z z o w o rk ers .......... 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.3 .6 .7

A sb e sto s w o rk e rs ............................................. .8 .8 .7 . 7 1.0 1.2 .6 .5 .7 .9

Roofers .................................................................. .7 .8 . 7 .9 .9 1.0 .6 .6 .6 .8

Soft floor layers ............................................... .6 .6 .6 . 7 .6 .7 .4 .4 .9 1. 1

G la z ie rs.................................................................. .5 .5 . 5 .6 .4 . 5 .6 .5 . 5 .6

Elevator mechanics ........................................ .3 .4 . 3 .4 . 3 .4 .4 .4 . 2 . 2

L a b o r e r s 3 .............................................................. 24. 2 25.8 17. 1 20. 1 20. 6 23. 8 37.0 33. 2 16.4 19.4

H elp ers and ten ders 3 ............................... .. 5.6 6.0 4. 1 4.8 5.0 5.7 8. 1 7.3 4. 5 5.3

Truckdrivers ...................................................... .5 .5 . 3 .4 . 5 . 5 .6 .5 1.0 1.2

W a t c h m e n .............................................................. .3 .3 . 5 .6 . 1 . 1 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 3

Other ....................................................................... .3 .3 . 3 .4 . 3 . 3 . 3 . 2 .6 .7

1 C onstruction of the p rojects extended from late 1959 to early 1962, but the g re ater portion took place during 1960-61.

2 L e s s than 0 .0 5 percent.

3 L a b o r e r s , h e lp e rs, and tenders a re considered a s lower skilled.

N ote: B e c a u se of rounding, su m s of individual item s m ay not add to totals.

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14

The re la tiv e p ro p o rtio n s of low er sk ille d w o rk e rs em plo y ed , a s 

shown in tab le 4, depends p a rtly on the type of str u c tu r e , on the le v e l of 

w a g e s, and on w ork p r a c t ic e s . Low w age r a te s m ak e it m o re eco n o m ical 

to u se g r e a te r q u an tities of such w o r k e r s. If w age r a te s a r e high , th ere is 

a g r e a te r in cen tive to su b stitu te la b o rsa v in g equipm ent and tech n iq u es fo r 

low er sk ille d w o r k e r s. T h ere is m uch l e s s p o ssib ility of re p la c in g sk ille d 

w o rk e rs by such equipm ent and tech n iq u es even if w age r a te s a r e quite high. 

The p re se n t n atu re of building co n stru ctio n is such that m ech an izatio n c a n ­

not be c a r r ie d a s fa r a s in m o st oth er in d u str ie s.

A p p ren tice M an -H ou rs

A p p re n tic e s in fo r m a l, r e g is te r e d a p p re n tic e sh ip p r o g r a m s 5 

accou n ted fo r 4. 7 p e rc e n t of to tal o n -site m an -h o u rs and 7. 3 p e rc e n t of 

sk ille d m an -h o u rs (table 5). A p p ren tice e le c t r ic ia n s , sh e e t-m e ta l w o r k e r s, 

and p lu m b e rs accou n ted fo r a g r e a te r p ro p o rtio n of sk ille d m an -h o u rs fo r 

th e ir c r a ft than a ll o th e r s- - 1 8 . 3, 1 6 .8 , and 1 2 .5 , re sp e c tiv e ly . A p p ren tice 

m an -h o u rs w ere r e la tiv e ly high fo r th e se o ccu p ation s in a ll re g io n s. F o r m a l 

a p p re n tic e sh ip train in g p r o g r a m s do not e x ist o r a r e ju st evolvin g fo r th ree 

o c c u p a tio n s- - a sb e sto s w o r k e r s, e le v a to r m e c h a n ic s, and o p eratin g e n g in e e r s . T rain in g in th e se o ccu p ation s is u su a lly a c c o m p lish e d on an in fo r ­

m a l b a s is through a s s is t in g a jou rn ey m an in h is w ork until the tra in e e is 

c o n sid e re d fu lly q u a lifie d to p e rfo rm at the jo u rn ey m an le v e l of p ro fic ie n c y . 

In som e in sta n c e s, p re d e te rm in e d tim e p e rio d s of o n -th e-jo b train in g a r e 

re q u ire d to be e lig ib le fo r u pgrad in g to jou rn ey m an sta tu s. T h is c r it e r ia 

h as u su a lly been in fo rm a lly e sta b lish e d through lo c a l w ork p r a c t ic e s . 

W o rk ers in a le arn in g sta tu s, w hether d e sig n ate d a s " im p r o v e r s '1 in the 

c a se of a s b e s to s w o r k e r s, " h e lp e r s 11 in e le v a to r in sta lla tio n , o r " o i l e r s " 

in co n stru ctio n equipm ent o p e ratio n , w ere grou p ed with h e lp e r s and te n d e rs 

fo r th is re p o rt. High r a te s of ap p ren tice m an -h o u rs a r e u su a lly a s s o c ia t e d 

with som e s m a lle r c r a fts o r with th ose c r a fts w here th ere is a sh o rta g e of 

sk ille d jou rn ey m en ,

G e n e ra l and S p e c ia l T r a d e s C o n tr a c to r s 1 M an -H ou rs

E m p lo y e es of g e n e ra l c o n tra c to rs accou n ted fo r a lm o st 50 p e rce n t 

of a ll o n -site m an -h o u rs w orked on c o llege h ousin g p r o je c ts su rv e y e d 

(table 6). T h is ra tio w as som ew hat low er in the N o rth e ast and N orth C en ­

t r a l re g io n s and h ig h er fo r the South and W est. A g r e a te r p e rc e n ta g e of

5 A bona fide a p p re n tic e sh ip p ro g ra m r e g is te r e d with a State 

A p p re n tice sh ip C oun cil which is re co g n ize d by the F e d e r a l C om m ittee 

on A p p re n tic e sh ip , U. S. D ep artm en t of L a b o r , o r a p ro g ra m r e g is te r e d 

with the B u re a u of A p p ren ticesh ip and T ra in in g , U. S. D ep artm en t of 

L a b o r.

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15

T a b le 4 . O n -Site M an-H our R e q u ire m e n ts p e r $ 1 ,0 0 0 of C o lleg e 

H ousin g C o n stru ctio n C o n tra ct, by P ro p o rtio n of L o w er S k ille d 

W o rk ers E m p lo y ed 1 and R egion , 1960-61 2

P e rc e n t of to tal 

w o r k e rs 

low er sk ille d

M an -h o u rs p er $ 1 ,0 0 0 of c o n tra c t

U nited

S ta te s N o rth e ast N orth

C e n tral South W est

A ll w o r k e r s ............. 93. 6 8 5 .0 8 6 .9 111. 5 84. 3

25. 0 and u n d e r ............. 83. 3 8 4 .4 7 9 .9 87. 9 8 3 .5

2 5 .1 - 3 5 .0 ....................... 8 8 .4 8 5 .4 86. 8 112. 2 85. 2

35. 1 and o v e r ............... 1 1 2 .4 — 104. 6 113. 2 - "

1 F o r p u rp o se s of th is c o m p a riso n , la b o r e r s , h e lp e r s, and 

te n d e rs w ere c la s s if ie d a s low er sk ille d ,

2 C o n stru ctio n of the p r o je c ts extended fro m la te 1959 to 

e a r ly 1962, but the g r e a te r portion took p la c e durin g 1960-61.

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T a b le 5. A p p ren tice H o u rs a s a P e rc e n t of T o ta l M an -H ou rs W orked 

on C o lle g e H ousin g P r o je c t s , by O ccu pation and R egion , 1960-61 1

O ccupation U nited 

S ta te s N o rth e a st N orth

C e n tra l South W est

A ll w o r k e r s ......................... 4.7 4.7 4.0 4.7 6.4

S k ille d tr a d e s o n l y .................. 7. 3 6.7 6.0 8.4 9.0

B r i c k l a y e r s................................ 5. 3 5.4 3.3 6.6 8. 1

C a r p e n te r s ................................ 4.4 2.9 5.4 3.6 7. 2

C em en t f i n i s h e r s .................... 2. 3 6.4 (2/) — 5.0

E l e c t r i c i a n s................................ 18.3 14.9 1478 23. 6 24.4

G l a z i e r s ................................ .. • . 6.7 11.7 — 1.9 22.0

I r o n w o r k e r s................................ 3.5 1.6 2.0 7.5 5.0

O r n a m e n t a l.............................. 5.5 5.4 6.1 3.4 . 9

R e in f o r c in g .............................. . 9 (2/) .4 1.0 5. 8

S t r u c t u r a l ................................ 9.7 IT 8 .8 23. 3 4. 7

L a t h e r s .......................................... 7. 1 6.6 8.0 6.4 6. 2

P a i n t e r s ........................................ 4.5 2.7 5. 1 6.1 3. 1

P l a s t e r e r s ................................... 2. 1 2.5 2.7 1. 2 2. 6

P l u m b e r s..................................... 12. 5 10.5 9.5 16.5 14. 6

R o o f e r s ...................... • 8 . 8 1.7 13.0 13. 2 1. 3

S h e e t-m e ta l w o r k e r s............. 16.8 27. 3 2.9 20.0 14.4

S o ft-flo o r l a y e r s ......................

T ile s e t t e r s and te r r a z z o

5.9 8.5 6.4 2. 2 5.8

w o r k e rs ..................................... 6. 2 . 8 5.9 11.2 6.8

1 C o n stru ctio n of the p r o je c ts exten d ed fro m la te 1959 to e a r ly 

1962, but the g r e a te r po rtio n took p lace durin g 1960-61.

2 L e s s than 0 .0 5 p e rc e n t.

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T ab le 6. P e rc e n t of T o ta l O n -Site M an -H our R e q u ire m e n ts fo r C o llege 

H ousin g P r o je c t s , by Type of C o n tra cto r and R egion , 1960-61 1

T ype of c o n tra c to r

U nited 

S tate s N o rth e a st N orth

C e n tral South W est

A ll t y p e s ................................... 100 .0 100. 0 100. 0 100 .0 100 .0

G e n e r a l............................................. 4 9 .4 47. 2 4 2 . 1 56. 2 5 0 .4

S p e c ia l t r a d e s .............................. 50. 6 52. 8 5 7 .9 4 3 .8 49. 6

P lu m b in g and h e a t i n g .......... 14.5 14. 2 15. 2 1 4 .4 1 3 .5

E l e c t r i c a l ................................... 7 .0 8 .4 6 .9 6. 1 6 .4

M aso n ry .................................... 6 .6 7 .4 9 .7 3 .5 7 .5

P la s t e r in g and la th in g .......... 4 .9 2 .0 7 .6 5 .0 4 . 1

P a in t in g ........................................ 3 .4 3. 6 3 .4 3. 1 4 .0

T ile and te r r a z z o w ork # # . 3 .0 3 .7 3 .0 2. 9 1 .3

S tr u c tu r a l and orn am en tal 

ir o n w o r k ................................... 2 .7 4 . 3 3 .0 1 .9 1 .9

R oofin g and sh eet m e ta l . . . 1 .4 1 .6 1 .4 1. 2 1 .5

Site p re p a ra tio n and 

e x c a v a tio n ................................ 1. 2 1 .6 1 .4 1 .0 .5

A ll oth er t y p e s ......................... 5 .9 6 .0 6. 3 4. 7 8 .9

1 C o n stru ctio n of p r o je c ts extended fro m la te 1959 to e a r ly 1962, 

but the g r e a te r p ortion took p la c e during 1960-61.

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the p r o je c ts in the la tte r two re g io n s re p o rte d co n stru ctio n c o sts low er 

than the a v e ra g e fo r the U nited S ta te s. The s m a lle r p r o je c t siz e found in 

the m a jo r ity of South and W est p r o je c ts , u su a lly en ta iled m o re a c tiv ity by 

the g e n e ra l c o n tra c to r, b e c a u se fo r m any building t r a d e s , th ere w as in su fficien t w ork to n e c e ssita te the issu in g of su b c o n tr a c ts. P lu m b in g and h eatin g, 

e le c t r ic a l, and m a so n ry w ere the th ree s p e c ia l tr a d e s g ro u p s show ing the 

g r e a te s t p e rc e n ta g e of to tal m an -h o u r re q u ire m e n ts--a b o u t 28 p e rc e n t. M an ­

h ou rs re p o rte d fo r th e se th ree sp e c ia l tr a d e s accou n ted fo r o v er 55 p e rce n t 

of a ll m an -h o u rs re p o rte d by sp e c ia l tra d e su b c o n tr a c to r s. The a v e ra g e 

n um ber of su b c o n tra c to rs em ployed p e r p r o je c t is shown in the follow ing 

tab u lation :

U nited S ta te s 

N o rth e ast . . . 

N orth C e n tral

S o u th ...............

W e s t .......... .. .

A v e ra g e n um ber of su b c o n tra c to rs 

p e r c o lle g e h ousin g p ro je c t_____

A ll

p r o je c ts

P r o je c t c o st 

l e s s than 

$ 1, 000, 000

P r o je c t c o st 

$ 1, 000,000 

o r o v er

23 20 28

26 19 32

24 19 32

19 20 18

22 21 26

C o st of D ire c t W ages6

W age p ay m en ts fo r o n -site m an -h o u rs a v e ra g e d 2 9 .3 p e rce n t of 

co n stru ctio n co n tra ct c o st fo r a ll co lle g e h ousin g p r o je c ts stu d ie s. The 

ra tio of w age p ay m en ts to co n stru ctio n c o st w as re m a rk a b ly con stan t when 

re g io n a l d iffe re n c e s a r e c o n sid e re d ; h ow ever, a w ide v a ria tio n w as noted 

betw een in dividu al p r o je c ts , w here the ra tio ran ged fro m a low of about 20 

p e rce n t to a high of about 37 p e rc e n t. Even with th e se w ide d iffe re n c e s 

noted fo r in dividu al p r o je c ts , a lm o st tw o -th ird s of a ll p r o je c ts ran ged b e ­

tw een 26 p e rce n t and 32 p e rc e n t. The co n stan cy of th is ra tio in d ic a te s that 

high m an -h o u r re q u ire m e n ts a r e a s s o c ia t e d with low w age r a te s and v ice 

v e r s a . In d icatio n s a r e that co n stru ctio n tech n iq u es a r e ad ap ted to re g io n al 

d iffe re n c e s in la b o r con dition s through g r e a te r or l e s s e r u tiliz a tio n of 

m ech an ized equipm en t.

6 E x clu d ed a r e p ay m en ts fo r v acatio n and h olid ay pay and oth er 

la b o r c o s ts such a s em p lo y er co n trib u tion s to s o c ia l se c u r ity , u n em p loy ­

m ent in su ra n c e , w o rk m en ’s co m p en satio n , and n on govern m en tal em ploy ee 

w e lfa re and p en sio n fu n d s. Included a r e w ag e s fo r a ll h o u rs w orked and 

o v e rtim e w a g e s.

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T ab le 7 show s a v e ra g e h ou rly e a rn in g s and total w ages fo r o n -site 

em ploym ent a s a p e rce n t of co n stru ctio n c o st. A v e ra g e h ou rly e arn in g s 

fo r p r o je c ts co n stru cte d in the South w ere c o n sid e ra b ly low er than fo r p r o ­

je c ts in other r e g io n s. T h ere a r e th ree sig n ifica n t r e a so n s fo r th is low er 

a v e r a g e : (1) W age r a te s a r e g e n e ra lly low er in the South than in other

re g io n s, e s p e c ia lly fo r low er sk ille d w o r k e rs; (2) a la r g e r p ercen t of onsite la b o r in the South is low er sk ille d ; and (3) in a ll re g io n s, w age r a te s 

tend to be low er in n on m etropolitan a r e a s , and the g r e a te r p ortion of p r o ­

je c ts c o n stru cte d in the South w ere lo c ate d in n on m etropolitan a r e a s , while 

the m a jo r ity of the p r o je c ts in oth er re g io n s w ere lo c a te d in m etro p o litan 

a r e a s .

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Table 7. A verage H ourly On-Site Earnings and W ages as a P ercen t of C onstruction C ost for C ollege Housing P ro je cts,

by Selected C haracteristics and R egion, 1960-61 1

United States No rtheast North Central South W est

C h aracteristic A verage

h ourly

earnings

W ages as 

percent of 

con stru ction cost

Average

hourly

earnings

W ages as 

percent of 

con stru ction cost

A verage

hourly

earnings

W ages as 

percent of 

con stru ction cost

A verage

hourly

earnings

W ages as 

percent of 

con stru ction cost

A verage

hourly

earnings

W ages as 

percent of 

con stru ction cost

A ll p rojects ..................... $ 3 . 13 29.3 $3. 63 30. 8 $ 3 .4 5 30.0 $2. 51 28.0 $ 3 . 28 27. 7

L ocation:

M etropolitan a r e a ............

N onm etropolitan area . . .

$ 3 .4 5

2.77

30.0 

28. 5

$3. 77 

3. 21

32. 1 

27. 3

$ 3 .5 6

3.25

29. 7 

30.5

$2. 78 

2. 39

27.5 

28. 2

$3. 33 

3. 21

28.0 

27. 2

C onstruction cost group: 

L ess than $ 1,000,000 . . . 

$ 1,000,000 and over ....

2.99 

3. 21

30.9

28.6

3.81

3.57

32. 2 

30.4

3.07

3.64

32. 1 

29. 2

2. 56 

2.47

29.4 

26. 9

3.44 

3. 23

31.4 

26. 5

With e le v a to r s ........................

Without e le v a t o r s .................

3. 28 

2.90

29. 1 

29. 7

3. 54 

3.80

30. 5 

31.4

3.60

3.06

29.7

30.8

2. 73 

2. 26

27. 6

28. 5

3. 27 

3. 29

26. 8 

28. 3

1 C onstruction of the p ro je cts extended from late 1959 to early 1962, but the greater portion took place during 1960-61.

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O ff-Site E m ploym en t

F o r each 94 m an -h o u rs of em ploym en t p e rfo rm e d at co n stru ctio n 

s ite s of c o lle g e h ousin g p r o je c ts , 144 ad d ition al m an -h o u rs w ere re q u ired 

to p rod u ce and d istrib u te n e c e s s a r y co n stru ctio n m a t e r ia ls , su p p lie s, and 

equipm en t. T h u s, a to tal of 238 m an -h o u rs w ere g e n e ra te d fo r each $ 1 ,0 0 0 

expended fo r co n stru ctio n co n tract c o s ts .

O ff-site em ploym ent is g e n e ra te d in m any p la c e s but can be c l a s s i ­

fied in the follow ing c a te g o r ie s :

1. C o n stru ctio n in d u s tr y - - o ff- s ite ; a d m in istra tiv e , e stim a tin g , 

c le r ic a l, and w areh o u sin g a c tiv itie s .

2. M an ufacturin g a c tiv itie s re q u ire d to p rod u ce fa b ric a te d p r o ­

d u c ts, raw m a t e r ia ls , and equipm en t.

3. T ra n sp o rta tio n , w areh o u sin g, and d istrib u tio n of fa b ric a te d 

p ro d u c ts, raw m a t e r ia ls , and equipm en t.

4. A ll oth er in d u strie s d ire c tly o r in d ire c tly a ffe c te d by p ro d u c ­

tion of fa b ric a te d p ro d u c ts, raw m a t e r ia ls , and equipm en t. V a rio u s in t e r ­

in d u stry tr a n sa c tio n s even tu ally a ffe c t a ll ad d ition al in d u strie s such a s 

a g r ic u ltu r e , f o r e s tr y , and m in in g.

T h ere a r e oth er ty pes of em ploym ent a ffe c te d by co n stru ctio n 

a c tiv itie s which th is study did not attem pt to e stim a te : E m p lo y e es of

a r c h ite c tu r a l f ir m s , u tility c o m p a n ie s, and State and lo c a l g o v ern m en ts. 

T h ese em p lo y e e s and th eir fun ction s w ere not g e n e ra lly included in con ­

stru c tio n co n tra ct c o s t s . A la r g e a r e a of em ploym en t, a ls o exclu ded 

fro m c a lc u la tio n s of m an -h o u rs re q u ire m e n ts, is that c r e a te d by resp en d in g 

and in v estin g of w ag e s and p ro fits a r is in g in v a rio u s a r e a s of econ om ic 

ac tiv ity w ithin the sco p e of th is study.

Although the ra tio of o n -site to o ff- site m an -h o u r re q u ire m e n ts is 

com m only u se d in an aly zin g em ploym ent re q u ire m e n ts in the co n stru ctio n 

in d u stry , an other type of d istin ctio n b a se d upon the econ om ic re la tio n s of 

la b o r-g e n e r a tin g a r e a s is a lso u se fu l. T h e re fo re , em ploym ent r e q u ir e ­

m en ts have a lso been divided into p r im a r y and se c o n d a ry m an -h o u r n ee d s. 

A s shown in tab le 8, p r im a r y m an -h ou r re q u ire m e n ts p er $ 1 ,0 0 0 of co n ­

stru ctio n c o st, e stim a te d at 1 7 5 .6 , a r e in a c tiv itie s at the site , and th ose 

m o st d ire c tly re la te d to co n stru ctio n a c tiv ity . Included in th e se , in addition 

to site em ploym en t, a r e o ff- site co n stru ctio n em ploym en t, e m p lo y ees of 

m an u factu rin g in d u strie s re p re se n te d at the ’’la s t stag e of m an u fa ctu rin g ” 

for m a t e r ia ls p rio r to sh ip m en ts to co n stru ctio n s it e s , e m p lo y ees in t r a n s ­

p o rtatio n , tra d e and se r v ic e , and other in d u strie s includin g m in in g.

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T a b le 8. M an -H ou r R eq u irem en ts P e r $ 1,000 of C o lle g e H ousing 

Construction Contract, by Producing Sector and Stage of Manufacture,

1960-61

Sector

Total 

m anhour s

P rim ary

m anhours

Secondary

m anhours

A ll s e c t o r s .................................................... Z37. 6 175. 6 61.9

O n-site co n stru ctio n ..................................... 93. 6 93. 6

O ther co n s tru ctio n ........................................ 1Z. 7 11. Z 1.5

A g r icu ltu re , fo r e s t r y , and fis h e r ie s . . 3. 6 . 1 3. 5

M in in g ........................................................... .. 3.4 .4 3.0

M anufacturing .................................................. 7 Z. 5 43. 7 Z8. 8

Lum ber and lum ber products ............ 7. 9 4. 8 3. 1

F u rn itu re ........................................................ 1. 8 1.6 . Z

Paper and paper products .................... 1.7 . Z 1.5

P r in t in g ........................................................... 1. Z 1. Z

C h e m ica ls ....................................................... 1 .8 . Z 1.5

Stone, clay, and glass products . . . . 15. 6 13. 0 Z. 6

P rim ary m etals .......................................... 10.0 Z. 6 7.4

Fabricated metal p r o d u c ts .................... 16. 9 13. 7 3. 1

M a c h in e r y ...................................................... 5. 8 3. Z Z. 7

E le c t r ic a l p rod u cts ................................... 5. 3 3. 3 Z.O

Other m a n u fa ctu rin g ................................ 4. 7 1. 3 3 .4

T ra n sp orta tion ................................................. 9. 6 3.9 5.7

W holesale t r a d e ............................................... Z5. 4 18. 3 7. Z

S e r v ic e s .............................................................. 7. Z 1.6 5. 7

Other in d u stries ............................................. 9.4 Z. 8 6. 6

N o te : B e ca u se of rounding, sum s of individual item s m a y not

add to totals.

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Secondary m an-hour requirem ents have been defined as those 

associated with all other requirem ents related indirectly to needs at the 

sites. Such a ctivities, totaling 6 1 .9 m a n -h ou rs or about 26 p ercen t of 

total m an-hour requirem ents, affect all parts of the econom y as the impact 

of prim ary activity is reflected in demand for basic m aterials and related 

transportation, trade, and services. 7

Some industries are represented in both prim ary and secondary 

sectors. F or example, the sand and gravel industry furnishes m aterial 

directly to the construction industry and also to the ready-m ixed concrete 

industry, which in turn sells to the construction industry.

B u ild e r s 1 O ff-S ite E m p loym en t

An exact study of off-site em ploym ent of each contractor was not 

attempted, since it was alm ost im p ossible to relate accu rately such e m ­

ploym en t to p r o je c ts being studied. B u ild e r s 1 o ff-s it e em ploym en t w as 

occupied not only with projects studied, but also with other current or 

future p rojects.

The estim ate of 1 1 .2 o ff-s it e m a n -h o u r s for each $ 1,000 of c o n ­

struction contract is based on the difference between construction w orker

o

employment and total employment in the construction industry. This 

estim ate also includes unreported hours for a few se lf-e m p lo y e d craftsm en 

who m ay have w orked at construction sites.

Combining this employment with on-site employment results in an 

estimate of 104.8 m an-hours of employment in the construction industry for 

each $ 1,000 of c o lle g e housing co n stru ctio n .

Em ploym ent in Transportation, Trade, and Service

Distribution of construction m aterials from producing industries 

requires employment of w orkers in transportation, trade and service indust r ie s . The estim ate of 23. 8 m a n -h o u r s o f p r im a r y em p loym en t per $ 1,000 

of co n stru ctio n co n tra ct is b a se d on the d iffe re n ce betw een p r o d u c e r ’ s value

7 S e co n d a ry m a n -h o u r s w e re estim a ted on the b a s is of a study m ade 

by the O ffice of Business E conom ics of 1958 interindustry relationships. See 

M. R. Goldman, M. L. M arimont, and B. N. V accard, ’’The Interindustry 

Structure of the United States, ” Survey of Current Business (Novem ber 1964), 

W ashington, D. C. , pp. 10-29. F o r m eth ods em p loyed , see appendix.

8 A d m in istra tiv e , engin eerin g, estim atin g, and c le r ic a l w o r k e r s 

a ccou n ted fo r about 14 p e rce n t of total em p loym en t in the con stru ction 

industry. About one-fou rth of this em ploym ent was involved at construction 

sites. Em ploym ent and Earnings Statistics for the United States, 1909-64 

(BLS Bulletin 1312-2, 19^4).

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and delivered value of m aterials used at construction sites. This estimate 

includes only distribution of m aterials from producers to construction sites 

and excludes distribution of m aterials among industries prior to shipment of 

com pleted products.

" L a s t M anufacturing S tage11 E m p loym en t

Manufacturing is the sector of the econom y m ost affected, other 

than the construction industry, by construction of college housing. It is 

estim a ted that 44 p r im a r y m a n -h o u rs w e re re q u ire d fo r each $ 1,000 of 

total construction contract to produce m aterials used in the construction 

of college housing p rojects. This estim ate, however, includes only em ploym ent r e q u ir e d in the la st m anufacturing p r o c e s s of m a te r ia ls . 9 E m p loym en t 

generated by this activity is distributed in many industries affected directly 

by construction activity. For example, it includes sawm ills cutting rough 

lum ber for form s, and establishments making m illw ork items from lum ber, 

but does not include employment in sawm ills producing lum ber for m illw ork 

products. The latter is included in estim ates of secondary em ploym ent d iscussed in the following paragraph. Agriculture, mining and other industries 

r e q u ir e d the rem a in in g 3 p r im a r y h ou rs.

Em ploym ent in Secondary Activities

In addition to 44 m an-hours previously noted for prim ary em ploym ent fo r each $ 1,000 of co n stru ctio n co n tra ct in fa c to r ie s p rod u cin g 

co n s tru ctio n m a te r ia ls , an additional 29 m a n -h o u r s w e re r e q u ire d in 

secondary manufacturing activities.

Transportation, trade and service industries as a group required 

18 m a n -h o u r s fo r each $ 1, 000 o f co n stru ctio n co n tra ct to m e e t the needs o f 

secondary business activity.

Other business activities, principally agriculture, forestry, mining, 

and other con stru ction , accou n ted fo r the rem ain in g 15 m a n -h o u r s o f se co n d a ry 

requirem ents.

Construction Tim e

A verage construction time for college housing projects surveyed 

w as 58 w e e k s. Individual p r o je c ts ranged fr o m a low of 18 w eeks to a high 

of 96 w eeks. F or projects costing less than $1 m illion, the average con ­

stru ction tim e w as 50 w eek s, w hile those in the $ 1 m illio n and o v e r c o s t 

c la s s re q u ir e d an a v era ge of 71 w e e k s. C on stru ction tim e fo r p r o je c ts in

9 Included in the b ill o f m a te r ia ls w e re supplies and the d e p re cia 

or rental value of construction equipment used by contractors.

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the South and W est was generally lower than for com parable projects in 

other regions. M ilder clim ate, permitting alm ost year-round construction 

activity, was probably the cause in m ost cases for this low er time req u irement. Average number of weeks of construction is presented in the following 

tabulation by cost class:

Average number of weeks of construction time

United

States

Northeast

North

Central South W est

T o t a l ................................ 58 63 62 54 51

Under $ 1 ,0 0 0 , 000 .......... 50 50 59 48 39

$ 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 and o v e r . . . 71 74 68 71 71

Employment by Construction Periods

In order to m easure the distribution of employment, the con stru ction tim e fo r each p r o je c t w as divided into 10 equal p e r io d s . Data on the 

number of m an-hours worked w ere tabulated for each of these periods. This 

perm itted the com bination of m an-hours for projects requiring different num ­

bers of weeks of w ork in order to obtain typical employment patterns. The 

typical pattern is for em ploym ent to start slowly, build to a peak in the m iddle 

period, and then taper off towards the end of construction. There w ere no 

ra d ica l d ep a rtu res fr o m this pattern. Chart 3 shows o n -s ite m a n -h ou r 

re q u ire m e n ts per $ 1,000 of co n stru ctio n c o s t by d e c ile . The p e rce n t of total 

m an-hours for all projects by decile, w ere as follows:

1 s t ......... .......... 3.4 6 t h .......... ......... 16. 1

2n d .......... .......... 7.0 7 th ......... ......... 14.9

3 r d ......... .......... 9.7 8 th ......... ......... 11.4

4 t h .......... .......... 11.5 9 th .......... .......... 8. 1

5 t h .......... .......... 14.1 10th .......... ......... 3.7

M aterials Used

Expenditures for m aterials used in the construction of college 

housing p r o je c t s studied am ounted to about $54 2 (54. 2 percen t) of each 

$ 1,000 of c o n s tru ctio n co n tra ct c o s t (table 9)* T h ese expenditures in ­

cluded depreciation charges or rental costs for construction equipment 

used, as well as costs for supplies consum ed and m aterials or fixed 

equipment incorporated in the structures. Expenditures ranged from 

$444 to $67 2 p er p r o je c t. The p e rce n t of p r o je c ts rep o rtin g expenditures 

fo r m a te r ia ls per $ 1,000 of con stru ction c o s t fallin g within s e le cte d 

ranges appears in the following tabulation.

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26

Percent expenditures for materials Percent of

were of total construction costs projects

Under 50.0 ............................... 25.6

50.0 to 54. 9 ............................ 37. 2

55.0 to 59. 9 ............................ 20.9

60.0 and o v e r .......................... 16.3

Total expenditures for the major materials groups presented for

four broad geographical regions indicate that there was no great difference

between regions; however, for some of the items listed in the major materials

groupings, there were wide differences.

Major types of materials used include metal products (excluding

plumbing and heating) which represented 28 percent of the total; stone, clay,

and glass products, about 27 percent; lumber and lumber products, almost

11 percent; and electrical equipment, including fixtures and wire, and plumbing products, each representing about 8 percent. Total expenditures for

materials in these five major groupings amounted to approximately four-fifths

of the total material expenditures in all regions.

Differences in the amounts expended for the components making up

group totals were quite noticeable in some instances and were due generally

to the different structural types, location, and size of projects.

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Chart 3. On-Site Man-Hours for Each $1,000 of College

Housing Construction Contract, by Decile of Construction

Time, 1960-61

Man-Hours (Percent)

Deciles of Construction Time

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Table 9. Cost of Materials per $1,000 of College Housing Construction Contract,

by Type of Material and Region, 1960-61 1

Selected products and product groups United

States

Northeast

North

Central South West

Total cost, all products.............................................. $541.60 $524.70 $526. 90 $573.00 $536.40

Metal products (except plumbing and heating) .... $151.90 $146.90 $144.50 $ 165.50 $ 147.40

Fabricated metal products............................................ 137.30 133. 90 136.60 143. 00 133.40

Reinforcing bars, rods, and jo is t s ....................... 36.60 34. 60 25.30 33. 80 45. 50

Structural s t e e l................................... ........................... 23. 90 27. 70 24. 20 16. 70 32. 80

Metal windows, fram es, and accesso rie s.......... 20.80 28. 30 19.40 19. 10 10.70

Sheet-metal products................................................... 17.90 16.00 21.20 18. 50 13.00

Builder's hardware........................................................ 12.50 10.40 13.60 14. 10 10. 10

Metal doors, fram es, and accessories .............. 8.80 5. 90 10. 20 10.00 8. 90

Ornamental m e ta l.......................................................... 8.00 5. 90 12.00 7. 10 5. 50

Metal la th ........................................................................... 2. 60 2. 10 3.50 2. 20 2. 60

Metal lockers, partitions, and shelves .............. 1.90 1.80 1.60 2.40 1.80

Wire m e s h ........................................................................ 1.80 . 80 2. 60 2. 30 1.40

Curtain w a lls .................................................................... 1.40 _ _ 2. 30 14. 80

Shower and bathroom accessories ....................... .60 . 10 .40 . 90 1. 10

Metal case w o r k ............................................................ .50 . 30 . 30 1. 10 (2/)

Other metal products 3 ................................................... 14.60 13.00 7. 90 22. 50 14.00

Copper (sheet metal and pipe) ................................. 9.80 8. 20 6.00 14. 50 11. 10

Aluminum sheet m e ta l................................................. 2.80 2. 60 .40 6. 20 . 10

Galvanized sheet metal . . . ........................................ 1.60 1.70 1.30 1. 50 2. 30

See footnotes at end of table.

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Table 9. Cost of Materials per $ 1,000 of College Housing Construction Contract,

by Type of Material and Region, 1960-61 ^-Continued

Selected products and product groups United

States

NortheastNorth

Central South West

Stone, clay, and glass products ................................... $143.80 $ 151.70 $139.50 $ 150.40 $ 117.60

Cement, concrete, and gypsum products ............ 70.80 79. 20 70. 20 69. 10 56. 30

Ready-mix concrete..................................................... 39.50 49. 70 40. 20 36. 20 21.50

Concrete block and b r ic k .......................................... 12.70 14. 70 9. 70 14. 70 10.30

Gypsum products .......................................................... 6.40 1.40 8. 20 5. 30 16. 70

Precast concrete products........................................ 5.90 6. 70 6.60 6.00 1.90

C em en t............................................................................... 4. 60 4.90 4.00 5. 20 4. 30

L im e ................................................. . . ............................ 1.40 1. 30 1.50 1.60 1.00

Structural-clay prod u cts............................................... 32.60 30. 90 32.60 35.00 30.40

Brick .................................................................................. 19.00 21. 20 18. 20 16. 10 23. 50

Ceramic tile ................................................................... 7.70 8. 10 6. 80 9.00 5. 50

Structural t i l e ................................................................. 4.90 1.00 7. 10 8. 20 . 30

Clay sewer pipe ............................................................ 1.00 . 60 . 50 1. 70 1. 10

Other stone, clay, and glass products................... 40.40 41.60 36.70 46. 30 30.90

Marble and other cut stone........................................ 11.40 15. 10 9. 80 13. 90 . 80

Fiberglass insulation................................................... 6.50 6. 90 6.90 5. 70 6. 90

Vinyl and vinyl asbestos t i l e ................................... 5. 10 6.00 3. 90 5. 90 3. 50

Sand and gravel............................................................... 4. 20 3. 90 4.00 4. 30 5.00

Window glass ................................................................. 3.80 4. 60 2.40 4. 60 3. 50

Asphalt tile ...................................................................... 3. 20 1. 30 4. 10 2. 30 7. 70

Crushed rock and miscellaneous aggregate . . . 1.60 .40 . 30 4. 20 . 60

Asbestos insulation..................................................... 1.20 1.30 2. 10 . 50 .90

Terrazzo .......................................................................... .90 . 10 1.00 1.70 .40

M i r r o r s ............................................................................. .90 . 80 1.70 .40 . 10

Dirt fill ............................................................................. .40 . 50 . 70

Other clay products..................................................... 1.20 . 70 .50 2. 10 1.50

See footnotes at end of table.

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T a b le 9. C o st of M a te r ia ls per $ 1,000 of C o lleg e H ousin g C o n stru ctio n C o n tra ct,

by Type of M a te ria l and R egion , 1960-61 x--C on tin u ed

Selected products and product groups United

States

N ortheast

North

Central South West

Lum ber and lum ber products 3 ................. $57.80 $48.70 $ 4 8 . 30 $70. 60 $ 7 0 .4 0

M i l l w o r k ......................................................................... • . • 42.70 33.00 40.70 51.30 48.50

Rough and d r e s s e d lu m b er .......................................... 13. 60 14. 60 6. 60 18.90 15. 20

E l e c t r i c a l equipm ent, fix tu re s and w ire 3 ...... 45.00 42. 80 40. 20 53.00 41.50

Lighting f ix t u r e s ............................................................... 12. 50 10.00 12.40 15.40 11.80

Switch and pan el b o a rd s ............................................... 9. 80 10.50 9.60 9.00 10.40

C o n d u it............... ................................................... 7. 80 8. 30 6. 60 8. 80 6. 90

Wire and cable .......... . ..................................................... 5.80 6. 70 4 .4 0 6. 80 5.00

N on curren t-carrying wire and devices ............... 2. 60 1.40 1.90 4.90 1.70

C u r r e n t - c a r r y in g w irin g d e v i c e s .............................. 2. 20 2. 20 1.60 3.00 1. 10

In te rco m m u n ica tio n and fire a la r m s y s t e m s . . . 2.00 2.40 1.30 1.60 2. 20

P lu m b in g p ro d u c ts 3 ...................................................... * . 41.00 35. 50 41.30 42. 30 49.80

F ix t u r e s ................................................................................ 14.70 13.50 13.50 15.40 18. 30

S te e l and g alv an iz e d pipe . • ........................................ 10.70 7.80 12. 60 11.00 12.70

V alves and s p e c ia lt ie s ................................................... 7. 90 8.40 5.60 8. 30 11.30

C a s t iro n pipe ..................................................................... 7 .0 0 5. 30 8 .70 7. 60 5.40

F ix e d equipm ent 3 ................................* ............................. 37.60 35.00 47.00 31.60 36.00

E le v a t o r s ............................................................................... 10.40 10. 10 9. 80 13.70 3.80

F u r n itu r e .............................................................................. 8 .6 0 7. 20 1 2 .00 9 .0 0 2. 10

K itchen equipm ent and a p p lian c e s • . ....................... 8.50 14.90 4 .8 0 4. 30 13.50

R e f r i g e r a t o r s.................................................................. 4.0 0 1.00 9. 20 1.00 6. 20

Ranges and ovens ................................................... . . • . 2.80 . 10 6 .5 0 (2/) 7.40

I n c in e r a to r s . .................................................................... .. .70 1.00 . 70 . 30 1.20

Venetian blinds and s h a d e s .................................. .. . . .60 .4 0 . 20 1.50 . 10

Water softener s y s t e m s ............................................ .... .60 _ _ 1.90 — —

P lay g ro u n d e q u ip m e n t................................................... . 20 -- 1.30

S e e fo otn o tes at end of ta b le .

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T a b le 9. C o st of M a te r ia ls p e r $ 1 ,0 0 0 of C o lle g e H ousin g C o n stru ctio n C o n tra ct,

by Type of M a te ria l and R egio n , 1960-61 ^ -C o n tin u e d

Selected products and product groups United 

State s

N ortheastNorth

Central South West

H eating and ventilatin g e q u i p m e n t .............................. 3 $ 3 1 . 70 3 $ 3 5 . 50 3 $ 3 1 .2 0 $ 3 0 . 20 $27. 60

R ad iato rs, convectors, boilers, and hot w ater 

h e a t e r s ................................................................................. 13. 10 13.70 15. 30 9.50 15.00

T e m p e r a tu r e c o n tro ls .................................................... 4. 80 6. 20 4. 20 3. 10 7 .6 0

A ir conditioning e q u ip m e n t .......................................... 4 .5 0 4. 30 3. 60 7. 20 .4 0

B lo w e r s and fan s . . . ...................................................... 3. 30 3. 30 4. 70 2. 60 1.40

Unit h eaters and v e n tila to rs....................................... 3.00 4 . 10 1.60 4 .4 0 . 20

P r n n p s ...................................................................................... 1.50 1.70 1. 30 1. 30 2. 30

Storage t a n k s ....................................................................... 1. 20 1.40 .4 0 2. 10 . 70

P a in ts and other c h e m ic a ls 3 ....................................... 6.40 6.90 6.00 6.70 5. 50

P a i n t ......................................................................................... 4. 30 4.80 3.40 4. 80 3.60

Petroleum products 3 ........................................................ 5. 70 5. 20 6.00 5.40 6.70

A sphalt and tar pitches ................................................. 2. 10 2 .0 0 2. 20 2.40 1. 50

A sp h a lt f e l t s ......................................................................... 1. 70 1.60 2 .0 0 1. 70 1. 50

A sp h a lt p a v i n g ..................................................................... 1.00 .70 .9 0 . 80 2. 10

G a so lin e and d ie s e l fuel ............................................... . 60 .80 . 50 .4 0 1. 30

A ll other m a t e r i a l s 3 ........................................................... 4. 80 5. 10 3.70 5.70 8.90

Insulating b o a r d .................................................................. 1.90 2.00 1.80 2. 30 . 80

L e a d ........................................................................................... . 80 1.20 . 50 . 70 .50

R u b b er p ro d u c ts . . . ........................................................ .40 . 60 . 10 . 30 .7 0

N u rsery products ............................................................. .4 0 . 10 . 10 . 10 2.90

Construction p a p e r ........................................................ .. . 30 . 10 . 20 . 80 . 20

Construction equipment rental value or

depreciation charge ........................................................ 15.90 11.40 19. 20 1 1 .60 25.00

1 C o n stru ctio n of som e p r o je c ts extended fro m e a r ly 1959 to late 1962, but m o s t con ­

struction took place in 1960-61.

2 L e s s than $ 0 .0 5 .

3 In clu d es value of p ro d u cts not shown s e p a r a te ly . V alu e s w ere rounded to the n e a r e s t

10 c e n ts.

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Appendix. Scope and Method of Survey

This study, designed to estim ate man-hour requirem ents a s s o c iated with construction of college housing p rojects, utilized data obtained 

from or related to activity at the construction sites as well as secondary 

s o u r c e s such a s the C e n su s of M a n u fa c tu r e s . C o llege housing p r o je c ts 

which w ere not federally aided w ere not included in this study.

C h aracteristics of the U niverse and Selection of the Sam ple

The sam pling fram e com prised a complete listing of all CFA 

adm inistered college housing p rojects indicated as being substantially com pleted during 1961. This listin g of 201 p ro jec ts with a total 

cost of about $207 m illion provided a brief description of each project, 

its location, and cost. The p rojects w ere stratified by the four broad 

geographical regions previously noted and by cost c la ss, as follows:

L e s s than $ 1 m illio n , and $ 1 m illio n and o v e r .

P ro jects in each cost c la ss were then separated into two groups-- 

those located in m etropolitan a r e a s and those located in nonmetropolitan 

a r e a s.

A sa m p le of 43 p r o je c ts , a p p ro x im a te ly 1 in 5 fro m the listin g , 

w as selected. Since sam pling within cells w as not uniform owing to the 

num ber of p ro jects within som e c e lls, v ariable weights w ere assig n ed to 

p ro jects. Construction on the p rojects extended from late 1959 to early 

1962, but the greater portion took place during 1960-61.

Man-Hour E stim ates

C ustom ary presentation of employment data for construction 

p rojects includes estim ates for on-site and off-site employment. Such 

a presentation is followed in this study. In addition, how ever, there is 

an economic distinction which can be made in analyzing man-hour req u irem ents for construction. B asic grouping in this instance would be prim ary 

and secondary labor effects of construction expenditures, the prim ary se c ­

tor including on-site employment plus the off-site employment directly 

related to activity at the job sites.

P rim a ry man-hour requirem ents, for purposes of this report, 

include, in addition to a ll o n -site la b o r, co n stru ction c o n t r a c t o r s 1 office 

em ploym ent, labor required in those m anufacturing in dustries which fab ­

ricate construction m aterials used on the site--that is, the last stage of 

m anufacturing, plus all trade, distribution, and se rv ice s involved in 

placing construction m aterials and equipment at the job site. Secondary 

employment includes all other labor requirem ents n ec e ssa ry to produce 

and tran sp o rt raw m a te r ia ls and sem ifin ish ed products to fa c to rie s which 

finally produce item s used at construction sites.

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Data for on-site man-hour requirem ents w ere generally collected 

from payroll reco rd s submitted by the various contractors, as required 

by law. All other labor requirem ents d iscu ssed below, whether considered 

p rim ary or secondary, w ere established by use of secondary data.

Collection of On-Site Man-Hour Data

When college housing projects are constructed with the aid of 

F ed eral financing, each prim e contractor and subcontractor is required 

by leg islatio n to subm it to the sponsoring body and C FA copies of each 

weekly payroll showing (with other information) daily and weekly hours 

worked, g ro ss weekly earnings, and the occupation of each of the em ployees working on the particular project. These payrolls provided data for 

compiling on-site man-hour requirem ents, as well as data on w ages for 

all hourly rated w orkers on the p ro je c ts. Data for on-site sa la rie d e m ­

ployees, not accounted for on payrolls submitted, w ere obtained from 

co n tracto rs by field rep resen ta tiv es of the B ureau. In a few c a s e s , the 

payroll record s requested were not available, or w ere inadequate as 

data sou rces. F o r these situations, alternate projects w ere substituted.

Off-Site M an-Hours

F ro m contractors and subcontractors cooperating in the study, 

a list w as obtained of the value of each type of m aterial used in the construction of sam ple p rojects. These m aterial listin gs were classified 

into categories consistent with 4 -digit Standard Industrial code as found 

in Census of M anufactures product groups. F o r each of these product 

g ro u p s, a v e r a g e am ounts re q u ir e d for each $ 1,000 of co n tra ct c o n s t r u c ­

tion cost w ere determ ined. Once average requirem ents w ere calculated, 

each figure w as reduced by a ratio representing the difference between 

valuation by the p u r c h a s e r and valuation by the p ro d u c e r. 10 Since all 

data r e p o rte d by c o n tr a c to r s w ere in p u r c h a s e r s ’ value, reduction to p r o ­

d u c e r s ’ value r e s u lte d in fig u r e s co n siste n t with C e n su s data pu blish ed on 

these various components.

P rim a ry Distribution Industries Employment

P rim a ry m an-hours in the trade, transportation, and service 

industries were estim ated from the difference between producer and 

purchaser value for each construction m aterial. The value differences 

w ere allotted to trade and transportation, and p rim ary m an-hours for 

each component of transportation and trade were then estim ated from 

labor factors provided by BLS.

10 T h is ra tio is b a s e d on valuation data p ro v id ed by U .S . D e p a r tment of Com m erce, Office of B u sin ess Econom ics.

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P rim ary Manufacturing Employment

P rim a ry employment in m anufacturing w as considered to be that 

required to produce item s in the construction bill of m aterials in their 

final stage of fabrication. In this stage, m an-hours resulting from college 

housing construction w ere developed by multiplying average value of each 

construction m aterial by the ratio of m anufacturing m an-hours to $1,000 

of production. 11

Secondary Em ployment in All Industries

Secondary employment is defined a s the employment in all industr ie s involved in production and tran sportation of building m a te r ia ls and 

equipment, from basic extraction to, but not including, the final m anufacturing stage.

To calculate all secondary m an-hours involved in construction 

m ate rials and equipment, the 1958 interindustry study w as used. F o r each 

group of m ate rials, this study indicates the amount of secondary product 

req u ired of each of its 78 industry se c to r s. The sum m ation of these latter 

figures and labor factors furnished by B L S produced the volume of secondary 

employment required in each of the 78 se cto rs. Adjustm ents for price and 

productivity were m ade to arrive at data for the year consistent with the bill 

of m ate rials.

Total Man-Hour R equirem ents

F ro m each off-site stage (prim ary distribution, p rim ary m anufacturing, and se c o n d a ry in d u stry ), a m an -h o u r figu re p e r $ 1,000 of co lle ge 

housing construction w as obtained. When these w ere combined with direct 

or on-site m an-hours, the total employment effect, within the definition 

used by the study, was determined. However, the procedures used in e stimating employment generated by construction of college housing did not 

include all such employment. Techniques used for estim ating the off-site 

segm ent cover only employment generated by direct purch ases of m aterials 

and supplies, and employment im plicit in the depreciation of construction 

equipment. The following a re a s of employment related to volume of constru ctio n activ ity w ere not covered : (1) A rc h ite c tu ra l, su rveyin g, e stim atin g ,

and other planning em ploym ent; (2) in sp ectio n or su p e rv isio n by the a r c h ite c t 

or the governm ent during con stru ction ; (3) la b o r tim e involved in in sta lla tio n s 

by public utility em ployees, as well as any site preparation not covered by 

the co n stru ction co n tract; (4) em ploym ent g e n e ra te d by p u r c h a s e s of m ov ab le 

furn iture and equipment not included in the con struction con tract; (5) the 

f,m u ltip lie r n effect of re sp e n d in g of w a g e s and p ro fits; and (6) the co n stru ction 

and equipment of new production facilities, if needed to supply construction 

m ate rials.

11 T h is ra tio w a s e sta b lish e d by u sin g the 1961 S u rv e y of 

M anufactures.

U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE . 1965 0 - 7 7 3 - 7 6 2

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