The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-06-24
Low SALARIED
SUFFER MOST
Labor Department Complies Sta
tiSticS in Cities That Show
Expenditures.
FOOD AND RENT COME HIGH
The Lower Your Salary the Greater
Proportion of It You Spend for
Food and Shelter, Say In
vestiqators.

Washington.-The lower your salary
the greater percentage of 1t you spend
| for food and shelter. according to the
latest government cost of living inves-
tigatiOn.
Tables compiled by labor depart
ment experts after study of hundreds
Of family budgets show the actual cash
outlay for food and rent is greater in
families with the higher incomes, but
in the average family the expenditures
for these necessities does not increase
as fast as the income.
In Baltimore, for instance, 13 fam
lilies with incomes under 5000 averaged
expenditures of $3S295 for food and
$120.44 for rent. The average was 46.5
per cent Of the total income for food
and 14.6 for rent. The families whose
incomes were $500 or more, however,
average 1876 per cent less for food in
comparison with total income and 11.5
less for rent.
Showing how much more cheaply
the higher-salaried families get off in
other cities are these differences:
Pittsburgh. food Is per cent; rent rs
per cent; New York, food CT ner cent,
rent III per cent; Boston, food 40
pei cent, rent 80 per cent; Syracuse,
food 4.3 per cent, rent. 10 per cent;
Scranton. food 81 per cent rent ga
per cent.
How Spending Varies.
How families of varying incomes
spend them is indicated by tables
showing average expenditures of diff
ferent groups for Philadelphia and
Camden, N. j. The table deals with
expenditures of 3O1 families of seven
different income groups.
Four families whose incomes were
under 5000 a year averaged per year
fol food 1860. 40; clothing, s100.S7 :;
rent, S176.25; fuel and light, $63.01;
furniture, S15.22; miscellaneous.
T100.52. The average total eXpendi-
ture per family was 1921. 26. and the
average number of persons per family |
49, Three families in this group re-
ported SURPRISES which averaged S24.33
per family, while one had deficit of I
s15735.
Seventy-fve families with incomes
Of 1900, but under $500, reported
that averaged for food !,
clothing, S273.53; rent, S20094;
fuel and light, $75.66; furniture,
1862; miscellaneous, s316.6O. Total
per family averaged |
Il ,535.77 for an average number of Al |
persons per family. Sixty-two families
ended the year with an average sur
,lus of $125.03, nine experienced an av-
,rage deficit Of S103.81, while four bal
need their books evenly.
Study Many Cities.
Eleven families with an income OF
2, 800. or over averaged in their ex-
,enditures for food, $91442; clothing,
rent, $25O.36 fuel and light,
$780, furniture, $127.33; miscellane-
us, $664.31 The total average ex-
enditures per family was $2,527.S9
or an average family of rs persons.
III families reported a surplus. The
verage surplus was $409.52.
Similar studies have been prepared
y the labor department for groups OF
families in Baltimore,
oston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Chambers
urg, Pa; Dover, N. j.; Fall River,
LASS; Johnstown, N. T.; Lawrence,
LASS; Manchester, N. H.; Newark,
:. j.; New York city, Pittsburgh,
ortland, Me-; Providence, r. L.; Rut-