No. 322.-WAGE OR SALARY WORKERS (EXCEPT ON PUBLIC EMERGENCY WORK) IN MARCH 1940, BY WAGE OR SALARY INCOME AND RECEIPT OF OTHER INCOME IN 1939, BY COLOR AND SEX [Wage or salary income includes all money received in 1939 in compensation for work or services performed as employees, including commissions, tips, piece-rate payments, bonuses, etc., as well as receipts commonly referred to as wages or salaries. Excludes value of income in kind, such as living quarters, meals, clothing, etc. Persons were classified as with or without other income on basis of answers to inquiry as to whether $50 or more of income was received from sources other than money wages or salaries in 1939. Includes persons employed as wage or salary workers (except on public emergency work) during census week, and persons seeking work last employed as wage or salary workers. Statistics based on sample B, see p. 1] 1 Includes those for whom receipt or nonreceipt of other income in 1939 not reported. Median wage or salary income based on number of persons reporting 1 dollar or more of wage or salary income in 1939. For definition of median, see headnote, table 23, p. 24. Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; special report of Sixteenth Census, The Labor Force (Sample Statistics)-Wage or Salary Income in 1939. 12. Prices The indexes issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics have been, since the beginning of the century, the major source of price statistics in summarized form. This agency prepares a comprehensive weekly and monthly index of wholesale prices, a daily index based on spot market prices of 28 commodities; indexes of the cost of food at retail in 56 large cities; and indexes of consumers' prices for moderate-income families in 34 large cities. The wholesale price index measures average changes in commodity prices of about 850 commodities at the primary market level-usually the level at which the commodity is first sold commerically in substantial volume. The prices are ordinarily those charged by representative manufacturers or producers to the types of distributors or industrial consumers who are characteristic buyers of the product. Wherever feasible the prices are f. o. b. point of production or sale. In the case of farm products and some foods, prices quoted in organized commodity markets are used. Commodities are priced in terms of a given specification at stated terms of trade. Most of the commodities are represented by a single quotation. In computing the index the price of each article is weighted by the quantities marketed during a representative period since 1934, the period 1929-1931. Indexes are computed for 10 major commodity groups, 49 subgroups and 5 economic groups. Beginning with 1921, in computing indexes for commodity groups, articles falling under more than one group are included under each classification. For example, articles produced on the farm which reach the consumer practically unchanged in form, such as potatoes, milk, and eggs, are included among both farm products and foods. Duplication also occurs between the metals and metal products and building materials groups. However, in computing the index for all commodities, such articles are counted only once. The consumers' price index measures average changes in retail prices of selected goods, rent, and services, weighted by quantities bought in 1934-36 by families of wage earners and moderate-income workers in large cities. It does not measure changes in the total amount families spend for living or relative differences in prices or living costs between cities. Indexes for the major groups other than food have been compiled from price data collected in 34 cities since September 15, 1940; and in a smaller number of cities in earlier years. Since March 1943, food indexes have been based upon changes in food prices in 56 cities. The list of items priced for the indexes includes approximately 192 goods and services. For many goods a number of different grades and qualities are priced so that over 270 different articles or qualities of articles are included in the index. Sales taxes are reflected wherever applicable, but income taxes, social security deductions, and bond deductions are not included. Beginning July 1947, indexes were computed monthly for 10 cities and once every 3 months for 24 additional cities according to a staggered schedule, 8 each month; national averages were computed monthly from food indexes for 56 cities, fuel indexes for 34 cities and indexes for other groups for the 18 cities surveyed. From 1913 to 1925, the weights used are based on a study of the family expenditures in 1917-19 of wage earners and workers in large cities. From 1925 to 1935, the weights of the individual goods and services priced are based on the 1917-19 study, and the group indexes are based on the estimated distribution of family expenditures in the same period. From 1935, the weights are based on a study of family expenditures in 1934-36. The items priced since 1935 represent about 70 percent of the expenditures of families whose incomes averaged $1,524. The retail-food-cost indexes presented in this section for periods from January 1935 to March 1943 are based on the distribution of expenditures as shown by the 1934-36 study of expenditures of wage earners' and lower-salaried workers' families. In March 1943, the weights for this index were again revised to take account of changes in food purchases due to wartime shortages and rationing. In January 1946, these wartime weight adjustments were eliminated and certain other revisions made in the calculating procedures. The indexes are computed from prices of 54 foods for the period from January 1935 to March 1943, 61 foods for the period March 1943 to June 1947, and 50 foods thereafter. Aggregate costs of these foods in each of 56 cities (51 cities prior to March 1943), weighted to represent total purchases, have been combined for the United States with the use of population weights. Indexes for all periods prior to January 1935 are converted from indexes computed for corresponding periods on the 1923-25 base. The Bureau of Agricultural Economics prepares currently indexes of prices received for farm products and of prices paid by farmers. (In addition to table 323 in this section, see tables 694 and 695.) The index of prices received for farm products included in this section is a revised series replacing the earlier series which has been in use for the past decade. Data cover prices paid to producers for 45 major farm products. Quantity weights applied to the individual commodities have been adjusted to marketings of the most recent prewar years, 1935-39. For other significant changes in the revised index, see source. In comparing the movement of the indexes of consumers' prices and of the prices paid by farmers for commodities bought for family living (table 695), it should be noted that the consumers' price index includes rents and other services and the farm index does not, and that the list of commodities included in the two indexes and their geographic coverage differs because farm family buying differs considerably from that of city families, and farm and city workers are located in different parts of the country. A number of privately compiled indexes of wholesale and retail prices provide some groupings not found in the official indexes. For example, the National Industrial Conference Board prepared current indexes for both a prewar and a wartime budget. Special purpose indexes have not been included in this section. The user of price indexes is reminded that the margin of error in price statistics due to unrecorded changes in quality, in discounts, and in undercover charges is greater in war than in peacetime. No. 323.—Wholesale, RETAIL, AND FARM PRICES-INDEXES, BY MONTHS: 1929 TO 1947 YEAR Wholesale prices (1926 [See general note, p. 292] Yearly average Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept Oct. Nov. Dec. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944 1945. 1946. 1947. 87.3 80.8 80.6 81.5 93.6 101.0 103.2 104.7 107. 1 140.9 Retail food prices (1935-39 avg.=100): 1929 1930. 1931. 132.5 130.0 129.6 128.4 127.7 129.7 131.3 134.9 136.9 136.7 136.3 135. 2 89.8 88.1 97.8 96. 2 99.7 101.9 101.3 100.5 99.4 99.4 100.5 100.0 101.3 101.3 101.5 100. 1 98.5 98.4 98.1 101.7 102.6 104.0 104.8 103.0 101.9 105.3 103.1 103.6 105.0 105.1 106.1 106. 0 106.3 106.9 107.9 106.5 104.1 98.4 97.5 102. 1 101.6 102.7 98.2 98.5 97.5 98. 1 97. 1 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. 1946. 1947. Prices received by far mers (Aug. 1909-July 1914-100): 105.5 97.8 97.9 98.4 100.6 102.1 105.9 106.7 108.0 110.7 111.6 113.1 132.7 137. 1 137.4 141.4 185.9 113.1 206.9 149 151 150 150 150 131 121 118 122 116 112 150 107 124 107 107 108 120 126 130 138 136 137 143 154 157 160 163 167 170 177 195 193 192 193 194 194 196 194 193 192 200 207 264 301 Source: Wholesale and retail prices: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; Handbook of Labor Statistics, 1947, and Monthly Labor Review. A pamphlet "Wholesale Prices" is published annually or semiannually; retail food price pamphlets also are published periodically. Prices received by farmers: Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Economics; published currently in "Agricultural Prices." 779832°-4820 |