The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-06-21
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 II You Spend for
Food and Shelter, Say In
v~estigators.

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
nsnt experts after study of hundreds
Of family budgets show the actual cash
outlay for food and rem 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
lies with incomes under 5000 averaged
expenditures of $3s2.95 for food and
$120.44 for rent. The average was 46.5
per e of the total income for food
and 14.6 for rent. The families whose
incomes were $500 or more, however,
average 1876 per CEN less for food In
comparison with total income and Ills
less for rent.
Showing how much more cheaply
the higher-salarled families get off In
other cities are these differences:
Pittsburgh, food Is per cent, rent rs
per cent; New York, food 81 per cent,
rent IT per cent: Boston, food AZ
per cent, rent 81 per cent; Syracuse,
food 4.3 per cent. rent 10 per cent ;
Scranton, food 81 per cent, rent "a
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 301 families of seven
different income groups.
Four families whose incomes were
under 5000 a year averaged per year
for food S385.40; clothing. $10O.s7
rent, S176.25; fuel and light, $e3.o1
furniture. 1892; miscellaneous,
S10O.52. The average total expendi.
ture per family was $S21.26. and the
average number Of persons per family
As. Three families In this group re-
ported SURPRISES which averaged S24.33
per family, while one had a deficit OF
S157.35.
Seventy-five families with incomes
Of $500, but under $500, reported
expenditures that averaged for food
$oeS. SO clothing. $273.53; rent. S200.94
fuel and light, $75.66; furniture,
$7e.92; miscellaneous, s316.60. Total
expenditures per family averaged
$1.535.77 for an average number of Al
persons per family. Sixty-two families
ended the year with an average sur
plus Of $126.O3, nine experienced an av'
erage deficit Of $103.s1, while four bal
anced their books evenly.
Study Many Cities.
Eleven families with an income OF
$500 or over averaged In their ex
penditures for food, $914.42; clothing
S470.39; rent, $25O.36; fuel and light
$95.18; furniture, $127.33; miscellane
Gus, $664.31. The total average ex
penditures per family was $2,527.S
for an average family of 10 persons
All families reported a surplus. ,Ths
average surplus was $409.52.
Similar studies have been prepared
by the labor department for groups o.
representative families In Baltimore
Boston. Bridgeport. Buffalo, Chambers
burg, Pa; Dover. N. j.; FAN River
Mass; Jo~hnstown, N. r.; Lawrence
Mass; Manchester, N. H.; Newark
N. j.; New York city, Pittsburgh
Portland. Me-. ; Providence, r. l.; Rut
land, VT. ; Scranton. Syracuse, Trenton
West6eld, Mass; and Wilmington
Del.