All sources · source collection

BLS Bulletin No. 49: Cost of Living and Retail Prices of Food (18th Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor)

U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of Labor · 1903

Population measured

2,567 wage-earner families in 33 states, head earning <=$1,200/year, year 1901

Source notes & limitations

Primary source for 1900s room. Average income $827.19, average expenditure $768.54, food $326.90 (42.54%). Rent 12.95%, clothing 14.04%, fuel and light 5.25%. Average family size 5.31. NOTE: the University of Missouri guide cited average income as $749 — the primary source says $827.19. The $749 figure is WRONG; this is the correct figure from the report itself. File: bls_v08_0049_1903.pdf (268 pages, text-extractable via pdftotext).

Where this source appears

11 records across 3 decades and countries. Documented gaps are included; a source cited for a gap does not establish a value.

0 of 11 records have a current source audit. A transcription check reads a declared numeric field from a pinned local source file; a calculation replay reads its operands and applies the declared method and rounding rule. A source audit does not independently validate the source or every claim in a record. The date is the last successful local audit; the build checks that its bindings still match.