The Cost of Living Among Wage-Earners: Fall River, Massachusetts, October, 1919, Research Report Number 22, November, 1919

In Short

This document is a technical research report assessing the financial requirements for a standard of living among textile workers in Fall River, Massachusetts. By constructing hypothetical budgets for a family of five—covering food, shelter, clothing, fuel, and "sundries"—it quantifies the exact cost of maintaining both a minimum and a "more liberal" household. The work remains an essential historical artifact, offering a granular look at the inflationary impact of the Great War on the basic necessities of life for American wage-earners.

The Story

The narrative of this report is one of precise, clinical inquiry. The investigators begin by defining their subject: the typical Fall River household, consisting of a man, his wife, and three children under fourteen. Rather than relying on anecdotes, they build a model based on the statistical realities of the city's textile-heavy economy. They examine the demographic landscape, noting that while the population is a diverse mix of French Canadian, Portuguese, Irish, and English immigrants, the economic baseline remains largely dictated by the cotton mills.

The progression of the study moves from the general environment to the specific, itemized costs of survival. The investigators walk through the neighborhood "villages," observing the housing conditions and visiting the small, ethnically oriented shops where families buy their daily provisions. They compile exhaustive lists—from the exact number of pounds of chuck steak and dried cod required for a weekly food basket, to the annual cost of boots, corsets, and caps. By meticulously calculating these needs at 1919 market prices, they establish a "minimum" annual budget of $1,267.76 and a "more liberal" one of $1,573.90.

The report then shifts to a comparative historical analysis, looking backward to October 1914. Through the use of archived price lists and advertising data, the researchers measure the rapid inflation that defined the war years. They track how the costs of staple items—coal, gas, clothing, and even burial insurance—surged. The findings are sobering: the cost of living for a family at a minimum standard rose by 73% during this five-year span.

The argument culminates in a clear, quantitative conclusion. It demonstrates that the economic stability of the average worker had been significantly eroded by the volatility of the post-war economy. The report does not offer policy solutions or moralize; instead, it presents the raw data required for manufacturers and labor advocates alike to understand the baseline cost of existence. It finishes by providing a comprehensive table of expenditures, asserting that to maintain a decent, "American" standard of living, a worker required a steady, year-round income of at least $24.38 per week. This figure stands as the final, hard-won answer to the investigation's initial inquiry, grounding the entire study in the cold, hard numbers of the marketplace.

How It Unfolds

Setting the parameters The investigators establish the scope of the study by defining the hypothetical family unit and the methodology of building a cost-of-living budget. They explain that the data is derived from market prices and consultations with local social agencies rather than individual family accounts.

The anatomy of a household budget The researchers break down the costs of food, housing, clothing, and utilities into granular detail. They differentiate between a bare-minimum existence and a more comfortable standard, accounting for items as specific as the cost of parochial school tuition and the rising price of cinema tickets.

The five-year retrospective The report pivots to calculate the rate of inflation between 1914 and 1919. By comparing historical price indices with current market data, the study quantifies the precise impact of war-time economic shifts on the purchasing power of the average worker.

The final tally The investigation concludes by consolidating all data points into clear, definitive summaries. These final tables serve as a reference point for the cost of maintaining a family, providing a stark reminder of the financial threshold necessary for survival in the industrial age.

The People

While this is a technical report, the "people" are represented by the composite, five-person family unit around which all calculations revolve. This family—a man, his wife, and three children—acts as the central protagonist. They represent the diverse immigrant groups of Fall River, such as the French Canadian and Portuguese families who often manage to survive through the sheer scale of their households, where multiple wage-earners eventually contribute to a single pool of income.

The investigators themselves are silent, professional observers—representatives of the National Industrial Conference Board—who move through the city’s dance halls, mills, and clinics to gather data. They act as the intermediaries between the reader and the inhabitants of the city. Then there are the "social agencies," such as the King Philip Settlement and the Instructive District Nursing Association, who serve as the gatekeepers of knowledge, providing the researchers with the intimate details of how these families actually live. The local landlords and shopkeepers appear as the figures of the market, whose price lists and rental rates dictate the economic ceiling of the working class. Ultimately, the "people" are the anonymous thousands of mill operatives whose lives are measured, weighed, and finally translated into the dry but essential statistics that form the heart of the text.

In Its Own Voice

From the food budget itemized in Table 1, which must be regarded as a minimum, it appears that the least that can be allowed for food for a man, wife and three children under fourteen years of age in Fall River in October, 1919, is $11 a week.

This sentence underscores the stark, baseline calculation for the most fundamental human need.

Families in Fall River often are large; the French Canadian and Portuguese not infrequently have eight or more children, and sometimes 12 or 15.

This observation provides vital context for why the typical family of five used in the study is considered a conservative model.

It is practically impossible to estimate the amount spent for each separate item in the sundries group, but in Table 4 is given an approximation of expenses in this division of the budget.

This admission highlights the inherent difficulty of quantifying the non-material aspects of domestic life.

What It's Really About

At its core, this report is a study of the "minimum American standard of living." It explores the tension between industrial productivity and the basic human costs required to sustain the labor force. The underlying question is one of economic equilibrium: what income is required to keep a family fed, clothed, and sheltered in an environment where inflation threatens to outpace wages? The book avoids political rhetoric, focusing instead on the argument that a specific, quantifiable amount of money is necessary for social stability. It highlights the vulnerability of the working class to external economic shocks, demonstrating how even a "minimum" lifestyle is subject to the fluctuations of the global market, from the price of coal to the cost of grain.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in labor history, urban studies, or economic statistics will find this book deeply rewarding. It offers a rare, microscopic look at the 1919 American industrial landscape, moving beyond broad historical generalizations to show the exact cost of a pair of heavy trousers or a pound of cod. There is a strange, hypnotic rhythm to its lists; the precision of the prices—down to the penny—creates a tactile sense of the era that narrative histories often miss.

One must be prepared for the dry, bureaucratic tone typical of early 20th-century institutional reports. It is not a story in the traditional sense, but a factual audit. The attitudes of the time are reflected in the language, particularly in the paternalistic framing of "the American standard" and the classification of immigrant groups. However, for those who value primary sources, the book provides an unfiltered window into the post-World War I world. It remains hauntingly relevant for anyone curious about the history of the "living wage" concept, as it establishes the very framework we still use today to measure economic inequality. What stays with you is the sheer, overwhelming complexity of surviving on a modest income in a period of runaway inflation.