Evening star., 1934-04-24
SPENDING POWER
|. Of NATION CLIMBS
Jumps rs Per Cent in Year
After Steady Decline for
Three Years.
BY JOHN A. CRONE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

ckcCihl oiopdtCh W 4hc StdI.
NEW YORK, April 24.-The spend
Ing power Of the United States has
risen Is per cent within one year, or
from SAL. .76o, ,44e, 900 to s52.157. .s43 ,oOo
This uptrend follows three years of
steady decline. in 1930-31-32, during
which spending money fell 53.6 per
cent. or from $71 PAL ,944 900 to SAL
760 ,446 900.
The rise in spendable money income.
estimated on a per capita basis, means
that the composite American citizen
entered 1884 with $4l5 to use instead
Of the $685. he had the year before,
according to Sales Management,
which has just completed a national
survey Of buying power.
Cotton, corn and wheat belt States
recorded the biggest gains. The
South's part of the national spend
able income increased, especially in
Arkansas. whose fraction of the total
climbed nearly 20 per cent. Improve
ment was registered by all the South
ern States, except Florida, Louisiana
and Maryland. whose losses were
trifiing. Pacific Coast States all show
slight recessions. Massachusetts alone
in New England improved its ratio.
The big advances were made in the
corn and wheat belts, particularly in
Nebraska and South Dakota. Every
Midwest and Plains State improved.
Texas forged ahead. New Jersey and
New York advanced slightly.
This estimate of spendable money
income for 1888 was made from all
sources, such as wages, salaries. fees
and commissions of every sort, busi-
| ness profits and miscellaneous items
of income. The individuals income
Is computed before taxes are paid.
Total spendable income is based on
industrial income and farm income;
the former is based on such indices as
income tax payments, payrolls and
employment. The latter is based on
estimates made by the Bureau Of
Agricultural Economics. which are
cash figures and consequently some
,, what lower than estimates which have
been made of the total value of farm
crops.
Here is the ranking Of the leading
States in order of their total spend
able income in 1888 compared with
1882:
New York. sl0.156, 1859, 900 for 1888
and s8,l25 .407 900 for 1892; Penn
sylvania. s4826, 10000 and s4,035,-
10000; Illinois. s4,120.887 900 and
1868 1896 900: California, s3,447,2l4,-
900 and $2850.ll4O00; Ohio, s2,823.-
30l 900 and s2,239 ,33e 900: Massa-
chusetts, s2,553 .435 900 and S2.015.-
| OCT, 900; New Jersey, s2,352, ,7O4 900
and 81 ,90l $50 900; Michigan, s1,987,-
649, 900 and s1,445, 727. 900; Texas, ST.
972, ,533 900 and sl,374,124, 900; Mis-
scuri, 1886 .257, 900 and 81 ,O66. .958.-
900; Wisconsin, sl,133,579, 900 and
$8l8,997 900; Indiana, S1,050, ,844, 900
and s844,713,000.
Minnesota, S9l5 ,867 900 and $685.
999 900: Iowa. 1913 642 900 and $685.
632 600; Washington. s697, ,l80 900 and
$500, 900; Connecticut, S667,715,-
900 and $685., ,000 North Carolina,
s649, ,963 900 and s488.2ll 900: Kansas,
1851, ,314 900 and S468,051 900: Okla
homa. 635,475 900 and s5O8, $50, 900 (;
Maryland, s604, 4,4l4.0 900 and $3.50, 764,-
900: Georgia, s566, ,723 900 and S451,-
$4,000; Virginia, s559,435.O 900 and
$3.50. .724 900; Tennessee, s551 ,494. 900
and s447,028,000: Nebraska, s543,-
$4,000 and 1851 $4,000.
Copyright. 1934)