Evening star., 1942-04-12
Survey Reveals
Record Buying
Power in 1941
Capital Leads Entire
Nation With Average
OF SLABS Per Copitu
BY FRANK MacMILLEN,
Wide World Business Writer.

NEW YORK, April 1.-THE
American people last year had more
effective spending power and passed
a bigger chunk Of it-s54 300 900 900
over retail counters than ever be-
fore in history, an authority on sales
estimated today.
The estimate was made by the
magazine Sales Management, wide
ly accepted by executives for its an
nual total and detailed regional sales
figures, which precede by several
months the official Government re-
ports.
The imprint of war showed clearly
through the complicated city, coun-
ty, State and regional analyses. with
the boom towns of the industrial
front climbing into prominence in
the national aggregates.
ID. c. Ranked First.
OF the country's riches" cities,
those with the greatest effective
buying power per capita, Washing
ton, D. c.. topped the 194l list with
81 .485 for each person in the popu-
lation-
But following in order, with aver
age buying power ranging from ST.
1856 to 81, ,255, were Hartford, Conn;
Long Beach, Calf; Pasadena, Calf;
New Haven, Conn; Atlantic City,
N. j.; San Francisco. Bridgeport,
Conn: Waterbury, Conn, and
Seattle.
The effective buying income of the
Nation, which the survey defined as
all the income produced, less certain
non-spendable portions, such as
surpluses retained in corporation
reserves and social security pay
ments by companies and individuals.
was s9l ,120, 100000 last year, nearly
1000 900, 900 more than in 1910 and
about $4,000, 100000 above the 1929
boom year.
The non-spendable income last
year was about S4,5o0 900, 900, so the
total national income, it estimated
was above s95,000,0 100000.
The difference between the ef-
fective buying income and the con-
siderably smaller amount spent at
retail was accounted for by taxes,
housing expenses. interest, savings
and other outgo which is subtracted
from individual budgets before re-
tail purchases are made.
Incomes at New Peaks.
But, the study indicated, last year
both the per family and the indi-
vidual income available for regular
retail buying rose sharply to new
records despite higher individual
taxes
The average family expenditures
In retail outlets ran to S1,562 last
year. compared with s1,3l7 the pre-
vious year.
Important war factor bearing on
the increase in effective spending
power in many regions. the figures
indicated, was growth in population
in a number of centers as workers
swarmed into the war factories
In a field survey of population
changes in 104 cities since the 1910
census, the magazine found only
three whose inhabitants were fewer.
In the 20 cities especially affected
by war industries, percentage in
creases from the 1910 census to
March /, 1912, ranged from 76 per
cent for Augusta, Ga. although its
metropolitan area grew 27.3 per
cent? to 460 per cent for Newcastle,
N. H, town in the Portsmouth ship
building Urea whose inhabitants in
creased from 500 in 1910 to 1890 at
present.
Of the major cities. Baltimore,
with population growth of l65 1000.
or 1872 per cent. since the census
date. topped the list on percentage
basis.
Los Angeles, aircraft, naval and
shipbuilding center, was among the
important cities showing large in
creases in actual numbers of people,
with 100000, or sc per cent added to
its 1910 total of 1,504 900.
Other Gains Shown.
Smaller cities or metropolitan
areas showed such percentage in
creases in population as this:
Metropolitan area of Newport
News Norfolk Portsmouth, Va, 619
per cent; Burlington, Iowa, so per
cent; New London, Conn, SIS:
Charleston. S. c., 491; San Degio,
Calf, AIT; Corpus Christi, Tex,
AS
The survey also gave the first
estimates for 1941 of the actual
number of retail dollars which flowed
into merchants Golfers in the lead
ing cities.
The first 10 in retail volume, with
the estimated cash register readings,
we're:
New York City. 1854, ,440, 900;
Chicago. s1,934,852 900; Philadelphia.
81 ,088, ,724,O00; Detroit. 1886 $4,000;
Los Angeles, 1920, o,S99 900; Boston.
S632,511 900; Washington, s600,000,-
900; Cleveland, $568, ,307 900; Balti-
more, s56o,317,o0o; Pittsburgh,
s47s, ,O36, 900.