Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-10-08
LOW SALARIED
SUFFER MOST
Labor Department Complies Sta
tiStIcS in Cities That Show
Expenditures.
FOOD AND RENT CONE HIGH
The Lower Your Salary the Greater
Proportion of II You Spend for
Food and Shelter, Say In
vestigators.

Washington.-The lower your salary.
the greater percentage of It you spend
tor food and shelter, according to the
latest government cost of living inves-
legation.
Tables compiled by labor depart
Hent 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, Is fam
lilies with incomes under $500 averaged
expenditures Of S3s295 for food and
$l20.44 for rent The average was 46.5
per cent of the total income for food
and lag for rent. The families whose
incomes were $500 or more, however.
average 1875 per cent less for food In
comparison with total income and lis
less for rent
Showing how much more cheaply
the higher-salaried families get off In
other cities are these differences:
Pittsburgh, food 10 per cent, rent rs
per cent; New York. food 81 per cent,
rent TT per cent; Boston, food 40
per cent, rent 50 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. ]. The table deals with
expenditures of 301 families of seven
different income groups.
Four families whose incomes were
under 5000 year averaged per year
for food $365.40; clothing, S100.S7;
rent, $176.25; fuel and light, s6301;
furniture, $15.22; miscellaneous.
S100.52. The average total expendi-
ture per family was 1921. 26, and the
average number of persons per family
4.3. Three families in this group re-
ported SURPRISES which averaged S2433
per family, while one had a deficit of
S157.35.
Seventy-five families with incomes
Of $500, but under S1,S00, reported
expenditures that averaged for food
s5e3.69; clothing, S273.53 rent, $4,000
fuel and light, $75.66; furniture,
$76.92; miscellaneous, S31660. Total
expenditures per family averaged
81 ,535.77 for an average number of At
persons per family. Sixty-two families
ended the year with an average sur
plus of S125.03, nine experienced an av-
erage deficit of s103.S1, while four bal
anced their books evenly.
Study Many Cities.
Eleven families with an income Of
penditures for food, $91442; clothing,
s4T6.39; rent, S250.36; fuel and light,
s95.16; furniture, s127.33; miscellane-
Gus, s664.31. The total average ex-
penditures per family was S2,527. SO
for an average family of TO persons.
All families reported a surplus. The
average surplus was S409.52.
Similar studies have been prepared
by the labor department for groups Of
representative families In Baltimore,
Boston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Chambers
burg, Pa; Dover, N. j.; Fall River,
Mass; Johnstown, N. T.; Lawrence,
Mass; Manchester, n. H.; Newark,
n. j.; New York city, Pittsburgh,
Portland, Me-; Providence, r. l.; Rut-
land, Vt; Scranton, Syracuse, Trenton,
Westheld, Mass. and Wilmington,
Del