Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-05
Economic Status
Of Negro in District
Found Improving
Continued From First Page0

worked. This differential had
dropped to 4 per cent in 1850.
2. In 1880, IS per cent Of all
Negro working men were labor
ers; by 1850. only % per cent
were laborers. For white working
men. the figure in 1880 was 3
per cent, which dropped to 2 per
cent in 1850. Among clerical
workers and statesmen. there were
only 9 per cent of Negro working
men in 1880; 20 years alter, the
figure had risen to II per cent.
Crafts employed only per cent
Of non-white male workers in
1880. but 10 per cent in 1850.
Also, in 1850, Is per cent of Ne
gro working men were listed as
service workers-only one per-
centage point less than in 1880.
Fewer In Household Service.
8. Among women, both Negro
and white. fewe" and fewer are
in private household service.
Among colored women workers
in 1880. there were 81 per cent;
81 per cent in 1910 and only 20
per cent in 1850. Among white
women workers the figure was
81 per cent in 1890. 8 per cent in
1910 and 2 per cent in 1910. An
increasing percentage of women
Of both races was going into
clerical and sales work, how
ever. Among Negroes. the figure
was 4 per cent in 1880, dropped
to 3 per cent in 1910 and jumped
to % per cent in 1850. Among
whites. the figure was 43 per
cent in 1880. 66 per cent in 1910
and 81 per cent in 1850.
Among white women workers,
those classified as holding pro-
fessional or technical jobs in
creased from IL to Is per cent
over the 20-year period, while
those listed as managers or pro-
prietors rose from l to per cent
There was no parallel among
Negro women workers.
4. More youngsters between
the ages Of Is and 20 are going
to school. Among the whites,
40 per cent were in school in
1850. but only ~ per cent of
the non-whites. The figure for
whites has been fairly constant
since 1880. following a sharp
jump-from Is per cent-in 1920.
The increase among Negroes,
however, has been gradual
from 19 per cent in 1920. to "a
per cent in 1880. to So per cent
in 1910 and to 40 per cent in
1850.
5. The non-white infant death
rate-more than stWice that of
the white during 1940-44-was
sharply reduced. During 1950-53,
1t was 35.4 per thousand. as COM
pared to 28.5 for whites.
More Own Their Homes.
6. An increasing number of
Negroes own their homes. Since
1890. white-occupied homes have !
continued to be about third |
owner-occupied and two-thirds
renter-occupied. Among nom
whites. only Is per cent were
owner-occupied in I290; the fig
ure remained under 20 per cent |
in 1880 when it jumped |
to IS per cent. while the equiva- |
lent white figure hit 43 per cent
1850 when it reached 30 /
per cent.
z. Negroes are catching up to
whites in schooling. The report /
says that educational achieve
ment as measured in median
number of school years completed |
appears to be leveling off for
white adults at just under 10 |
years; for non-white adults this |
median, while lower, is still in
creasing," Among white men. it |
puts the median number of school
years completed as ia in 1910, |
as 12,4 in 1850 and estimates 1875
in 1860. Among non-white men,
the figure for 1910 is IT years,
8.8 in 1850 and 10 in 1860.
Among white women. the figure
is u years in 1910, 1873 in 1850
and 125 IN 1860. Among nom
white women, the figure is 81
years in 1910. 9 in 1850 and IL
in 1860.
Commenting on the implied
prospect of reduced demands on
the Welfare Department from
Washlngton's Negro population,
Welfare Director Gerard M. Shea
wrote the District Commission
ers:
while these facts are of basic
Importance to the long-range |
planning of the Department of |
Public Welfare. they appear to us
to have similar value to other |
departments of the District gov !
eminent"
The survey was prepared by !
the Welfare Department Divi- |
sion of Research and Statistics. |