Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-12
TWO-fIFTHS At WORK
Occupation Statistics of the
United States.
FARMERS LEAD OTHERS
GROUPS OF THOSE OF TEN YEARS
OF AGE AND OVER.
Agricultural Pursuits Come First,
Followed by Manufacturing, Then
Trade and Transportation.

|
The director of the census today made
public report on occupations of citizens
of the United States, as collected by $4,000
| enumerators of the census bureau. The
report was prepared by Mr.. William e.
Hunt, chief statistician for population, as
| sisted by DR.. Joseph A. Hill and Mr.. Will
| lam 5. Rossiter of the division Of publica-
tons. The publication is profusely illus
trated with maps and diagrams prepared
In the geographical division under the di-
rection of Mr. Charles S. Sloane, acting
| geographer.
| The report shows that over 80 per cent
| OF the persons employed In gainful occu-
patfons In the United States ara employed
In agricultural pursuits. In collecting sta
tistics of occupations only persons ten
years OF age and over were considered.
Nearly Thirty Millions Employed.
The cancellations and comparisons
which follow are restricted to the returns
for continental United States. which con-
sists OF that part of the United States on
the continent of North America south OF
the Canadian boundary, and therefore ex-
| cludes Alaska Hawaii and the military
| and naval stations abroad.
In continental United States the total
number OF persons engaged in gainful occu-
pations In 1900 was 29,O73,233 which was
| half, 5O.2 per cent, of the population
ten years OF age and over, and nearly two
hfths, 3s3 per cent, of the entire popula-
ton. OF this number, %. 753. S36 were males
| and 5,319,39 were females.
| The males gainfully employed constituted
50 per cent, or four-fifthS, of the male pop
ulation ten years of age and over. and 61.2
per cent, or more than three-ffths, of the
| total male population The females gain
| fully employed constituted 1873 per cent of
the female population ten years of age and
| over and 14.3 per cent of the total female
| population.
Classification of Occupations.
In the classification for the twelfth CEN
sus there were 303 specified occupations, or
40 occupation groups. These were classi-
fled under five main heads, showing
follows, with the percentage of the popula
ton employed therein:
Thirty nine and siX-tenths per cent were
engaged in agricultural pursuits, 24.3 per
cent in manufacturing and mechanical pur
suits 11.9 per cent In trade and tranSpor
taton, al per cent in domestic and per-
sonal service and 3.5 per cent in profess
Agricultural pursuits constitute there
fore, the most important class of occupa-
tons for this sex. More than one-half of
the males in this main class are farmers,
planters and overseers and about two fifths
are agricultural laborers.
More than seven tenths Of the males clas-
sified under domestic and personal service
are laborerS mot specified).
Under trade and transportation the lead
ing occupation groups for males are those
of retail merchants, and dealers; steam
railroad employees; clerks and copyists;
| draymen, ha ckmen and transfers; and
statesmen. The number of males in these
five groups make fup about two-thirds of
the total number in this main class.
Engaged in Manufacturing.
The males engaged in manufacturing and
mechanical pursuits are widely distributed
in a number of occupation groups, of which
the two largest are those of miners and
quarrymen and carpenters and joiners
these two including about one-fifth of the
total number of males in this class
In the North Atlantic division the number
of males engaged in manufa curing and
mechanical pursuits Is considerably larger
than the number engaged in any other main
class of occupations. constituting 39.1 per
cent, or nearly two-fifths, of the total num-
Der of male workers in this division
In Agricultural Pursuits.
In each of the other geographic divisions,
agricultural pursuits constitute the most
| important branch of occupations, being 81 9
per cent, or two-fifths of all in the north
workers in the south Atlantic division; Al.
percent. or two-fifths of all In the north
| central division, and 663 per cent or two
thirds of all in the south central division
In the western division the percentage of
male workers engaged in agricultural pur-
suits 800. is not much higher than the per-
| centage engaged in manufacturing and me-
| chanical pursuits, 1854 This is because
manufacturing and mechanical pursuits in
| clude mining. which is important occu-
patton in that section of the country.
Employment of Females.
OF the total number of females gain
! full 4
in domestic and personal service this being
the most important branch of occupations
for this sex; 24.7 per cent were engaged
| in manufacturing and mechanical pursuits;
1874 per cent in agricultural pursuits; "a
| per cent in trade and transportation, and
81 per cent in professional service.
| More than two-thirds of the total num-
Der of females engaged in agricultural pur-
| suits are agricultural laborers and about
third are farmers, planters and over
seers; more than three-fourths in profess
sional service are teachers and professors
about three-fifthS In domestic and personal
service are servants and Mattresses; nearly
four-fifths in trade and transportation are
saleswomen, stenographers and typewrit-
erS, clerks and copyiStS and bookkeeperS
and accountants; more than one-fourth in
manufacturing and mechanical pursuits are
dressmakers and over one-fifth are textile
mill operatives.
In each geographic division between IS
and As per cent of all females gainfully en-
ployed were engaged in domestic and per-
sonal service, and in the south Atlantic,
north central and western divisions the per-
centage is larger than that for any other
class of occupations, but in the north At
lantic division larger per cent of females
we're engaged in manufacturing and me-
chanical pursuits than in domestic and per-
sonal service. and In the south central d.
vision larger per cent were engaged in
agricultural pursuits.
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