Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-08-27
Survey Finds
city Is Booming
CONTINUED from Page One)

Further, the study shows that "m0re women are
staying home and raising families" instead of working
The number Of jobhoding housewives dropped from
1873 per cent in 1850 to ~ per cent this year.
Their statistical husbands bring home $6421 year
each although the total average income per family from
all sources is $7855.
Sixtysx per cent of Rockviians between the ages of
Is and IS are employed and than @ per cent of these
work in their home town.
Mildly surprising Is that of the total S187 Rockville
workers only lot per cent work for the County govern
ment which has its headquarters in Rockville Some SO
per cent the other hand work for commercial establish
ments while 80 per cent work for the Federal Government
and another lis per cent work for industrial concerns
The report notes that 80 per cent of Rocvies en-
poyed residents are in professional and administrative posi-
TONS The next largest classification is made up OF 28
per cent craftsmen.
All these employees gross income of SAG $4,000
year. of which 1858 per cent is in wages and salaries This
is an exceedingly high" percentage in comparison to the
national average of 6S4 per cent
The magnitude of the difference, the report de-
clared indicates that ROclxles residents are highly
dependent wages and salaries for economic subsls-
tence and that income from investments rents and
other benefits is quite small.
The report concluded that average income of Rock
vile families exceeds that of the District of Columbia
equals that of Silver Spring and Wheaton, and is below
that of Bethesda.
Rockville residents buy 90 per cent of all their soft
goods groceries drugs, notions, toys flowers gasoline,
etc. but only 36 per cent of their hard goods furniture,
radios clothing appliances engineering suppes) in Rock
Vile.
Seventyfve per cent buy all their services in Rock
vile, however.
These shoppers and homeowners want az bet
ter restaurants serving dinner meals (2 and better
parking facilities in the central business district 81
large department store, (4) office space The re-
port said nervewees thought the Congressional Shop
ping Plaza good but too far away from residential
areas
The survey also uncovered the fact that only IL per
cent of the commercial establishments in the city their
present location and that about out of every eight is
branch of a chain
Major observation of the citys business life calls for
redevelopmen of the central business district which has
reported declining sales due to the impact of nearby modern
shopping centers and lack of adequate parking facilities
At the same time, however, businessmen showed
cool reaction to relocation and expansion. Tabula
tons show that 81 per cent did not contemplate reo
cation of soft goods businesses 81 per cent Of in
the hard goods business said the same, while 81 per
cent Of those selling services do not plan to relocate.
Manufacturing and research are the most stable in
dstes in the CITY, the report said They represent 40 per
cent of the industrial employment and account for 26 per
cent of the dollars handled They fork 80 per
cent of the total payroll in the cty's industries.
Despite the stability Of research industry in the city,