Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Editorial
May 21, 1931
Gadsden County Times
Quincy, Gadsden County, Florida
What is this article about?
The editorial details the average American wage-earner's $1,513.29 annual income allocation: 1/3 on food ($548.51), 1/5 on rent ($342.14), $237.60 on clothing, leaving $385.04 for miscellaneous, with $90 surplus for non-essentials and $78.93 in savings. It praises U.S. workers' superior living standards and resilience during depression.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Where The Money Goes.
It costs the average American family a little more than one-third of its income for food. The average wage-earner has an income of $1,513.29 a year, or just under $30 a week, out of which he spends $548.51 for food, according to the most recent statistical compilation of figures on the cost of living. Rent, whether in the form of maintenance and taxes on a home, or in actual rent paid to a landlord, averages a little over one-fifth of the total income or, in the case of the average wage-earner, $342.14. Clothing for the entire family, on the same scale, comes to $237.60, leaving $385.04 out of this average wage-earner's income for miscellaneous expenditures. That is substantially a quarter of the average worker's yearly earnings, out of which he has to pay doctor's bills, cost of educating his children, all amusements, his life insurance premiums, if any, and everything else that he spends money for. On the same basis of figuring the average wage earner spends $16.33 for automobiles. Since the cheapest automobile sells for around $500, this means that only one wage earner in thirty buys a car in any given year. With ordinary care, however, even a cheap car will last for years. It is a safe assumption that at least one out of every ten wage workers in America owns an automobile. Doctor's bills for the average family run nearly four times the cost of automobiles. Insurance accounts for $43.28 a year out of the average family income. And after paying for all of the things already mentioned, this average American working man has $90 a year left for cigarettes, Christmas presents or other non-necessary expenditures, besides putting $78.93 in the savings bank. Those are figures which cannot be matched anywhere else in the world. Nowhere has the man who works with his hands such a surplus above his actual living as he has in America. For that matter, no worker under any other flag has as comfortable living quarters or as good and ample food. It is this surplus of earnings above expenses that has enabled American workers to carry through a long period of depression and unemployment without being reduced to beggary and starvation.
It costs the average American family a little more than one-third of its income for food. The average wage-earner has an income of $1,513.29 a year, or just under $30 a week, out of which he spends $548.51 for food, according to the most recent statistical compilation of figures on the cost of living. Rent, whether in the form of maintenance and taxes on a home, or in actual rent paid to a landlord, averages a little over one-fifth of the total income or, in the case of the average wage-earner, $342.14. Clothing for the entire family, on the same scale, comes to $237.60, leaving $385.04 out of this average wage-earner's income for miscellaneous expenditures. That is substantially a quarter of the average worker's yearly earnings, out of which he has to pay doctor's bills, cost of educating his children, all amusements, his life insurance premiums, if any, and everything else that he spends money for. On the same basis of figuring the average wage earner spends $16.33 for automobiles. Since the cheapest automobile sells for around $500, this means that only one wage earner in thirty buys a car in any given year. With ordinary care, however, even a cheap car will last for years. It is a safe assumption that at least one out of every ten wage workers in America owns an automobile. Doctor's bills for the average family run nearly four times the cost of automobiles. Insurance accounts for $43.28 a year out of the average family income. And after paying for all of the things already mentioned, this average American working man has $90 a year left for cigarettes, Christmas presents or other non-necessary expenditures, besides putting $78.93 in the savings bank. Those are figures which cannot be matched anywhere else in the world. Nowhere has the man who works with his hands such a surplus above his actual living as he has in America. For that matter, no worker under any other flag has as comfortable living quarters or as good and ample food. It is this surplus of earnings above expenses that has enabled American workers to carry through a long period of depression and unemployment without being reduced to beggary and starvation.
What sub-type of article is it?
Economic Policy
Labor
What keywords are associated?
Family Budget
Wage Earner Income
Cost Of Living
American Prosperity
Workers Surplus
Depression Endurance
What entities or persons were involved?
Average American Wage Earner
American Workers
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Average American Family Spending And Workers' Surplus Income
Stance / Tone
Positive Affirmation Of American Workers' Prosperity And Living Standards
Key Figures
Average American Wage Earner
American Workers
Key Arguments
Average Family Spends One Third Of Income On Food ($548.51 Out Of $1,513.29)
Rent Averages One Fifth Of Income ($342.14)
Clothing Costs $237.60
Miscellaneous Expenditures $385.04, Including Doctor's Bills, Education, Amusements, Insurance
Automobile Spending $16.33 Annually, Indicating One In Ten Owns A Car
Doctor's Bills Nearly Four Times Automobile Costs
Insurance $43.28 Yearly
$90 Left For Non Essentials, Plus $78.93 In Savings
American Workers Have Unmatched Surplus And Comfortable Living Compared To Worldwide Standards
Surplus Enabled Endurance Of Depression Without Starvation