vitrine · US · the 1910s

The 1910s room

The composite family. Each room is a statistical composite, assembled from separate distributions with separate sources. The family at the median income did not also have the median house, the median car, and the median diet. No single family described here ever existed; each fact tells you, in its provenance drawer, which real population it was measured from.

Decade 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

era-graded light · absent technology isn't drawn · every glyph opens its specimen label

The home

The home · 1910s

45.9%A

Homeownership rate, 1910

% of occupied dwelling units (owner-occupied)

MeasuredAll U.S. occupied housing units (decennial census)

provenance

Homeownership Rate by State: 1900 to 2000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Bureau decennial time series (owner.pdf). Down from 46.7% in 1900 — the long slow decline from 1900 to 1920. By 1920: 45.6%.
Source note: Time series of homeownership rates from 1900 to 2000 by state and nationally. 1950 national rate: 55.0%. 1940: 43.6%. 1960: 61.9%. Also see companion table: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/tables/time-series/census-housing-tables/ownerchar.pdf
Assumption: The composite family

The home · 1910s

no reliable record accessible onlineD

Home value, rooms, plumbing, electricity

n/a

MeasuredAll US housing units and residents (decennial census)

provenance

Census of Population and Housing — Decennial Publications
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The 1910 Census did not collect housing characteristics. The first Census of Housing was 1940. Most urban homes in the 1910s had electricity (~85% of urban/non-farm by 1920); rural homes were almost entirely unelectrified (~2% of farms in 1910). Indoor plumbing was available in cities but rare in rural areas.
Source note: Historical Census publications. Census of Housing 1940 was first to ask about amenities (plumbing, electricity, radio, refrigerator). Census 1930 asked about radio ownership — first census technology-diffusion question. Census 1950/1960 asked about TV, telephone, automobile, refrigerator, washing machine.

The budget

The budget · 1910s

no reliable record accessible onlineD

Median family income, 1910s

n/a

MeasuredAll US families (two or more related persons), CPS money income

provenance

Historical Income Tables: Families
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No national income survey existed before 1947. The Census of Manufactures collected wage data but not family income. The first CPS income question was 1945 (P-60 No. 1). For 1910, the best available proxy is manufacturing wages: $0.260/hr, ~56.6 hrs/week (Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 765). See day panel.
Source note: Landing page listing Tables F-1 through F-23. Continuously updated. Last revision Sep 2025 (2024 data).

The table

The table · 1910s

no reliable record accessible onlineD

The food basket, 1910s

n/a

Measured2,567 wage-earner families in 33 states, head earning <=$1,200/year, year 1901

provenance

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 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The BLS Bulletin No. 49 (1903) and 18th Annual Report (1903) cover the 1900s. No comparable survey exists for the 1910s. The next major consumer expenditure survey would be the 1918-19 study, conducted during wartime.
Source note: 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).

The day

The day · 1910s

50.2 male, 53.6 female (white)A

Life expectancy at birth, 1909-11

years

MeasuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)

provenance

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series B 116-117 (white population, at birth). The 1910s were devastated by the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, which killed ~675,000 Americans and temporarily reduced life expectancy by ~12 years. Pre-pandemic baseline: 50.2 male, 53.6 female.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.

The day · 1910s

$0.260/hr, 56.6 hrs/week, ~$14.72/wkA

Manufacturing production worker wages, 1910

USD, nominal (hourly earnings, weekly hours, implied weekly earnings)

MeasuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)

provenance

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 765-767 (manufacturing production workers). Hourly: $0.260, weekly hours: 56.6, implied weekly earnings: $14.72. By 1915: $0.287/hr, 55.0 hrs/week. These are the pre-WWI wage levels; wartime demand would push wages up sharply by 1917-18.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

The day · 1910s

45.6C

Women's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1910

hours per week, prime-age women (ages 18–64)

MeasuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates

provenance

Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 6A, 'All Prime-Age Women' column. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS surveys from 1965. Includes food prep, house cleaning, clothing care, childcare, purchasing, and household management. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated. Draft version (NBER w13985) has identical values. Splice caveat: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS (2020s room) measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept change that must caveat when plotted together.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family

The day · 1910s

4.0C

Men's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1910

hours per week, prime-age men (ages 18–64)

MeasuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates

provenance

Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 7, 'All Prime-Age Men' column. Early estimates from Purnell Act studies and Lundberg et al. (1934); 1965+ from AHTUS/BLS. Men's hours rose 13 hrs/week across the century (3.9→16.8), partially offsetting women's decline. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family

What had arrived

What had arrived · 1910s

~13 per 1,000 population (1915)A

Telephone diffusion, 1910s

telephones per 1,000 population

MeasuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)

provenance

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2, Series R 1-2. In 1915: ~13 per 1,000 population (~5.5 million total phones). Household percentage not directly reported until 1944, but estimated at well under 10% of households. The Bell System was expanding but telephone remained a business and upper-class amenity.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.

What had arrived · 1910s

Electricity ~5-10% of homes (urban only). Radio not yet commercial. Automobile <2%.C

Electricity, radio, automobile

n/a

MeasuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)

provenance

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Historical Statistics does not track household electrification directly until the 1940 Census. Urban electrification was growing rapidly (Edison's Pearl Street station opened 1882); by 1910, most city homes had electric lighting. Rural homes were almost entirely unelectrified. Commercial radio broadcasting began 1920 (KDKA Pittsburgh). Automobile registrations were growing but still under 2% of households.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.

A day's work buys

A day's work buys · 1910s

no reliable record accessible onlineD

Affordability comparisons, 1910s

n/a

MeasuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)

provenance

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: Without a median family income figure, affordability comparisons cannot be computed. Manufacturing wages ($0.26/hr, ~$765/yr) provide a wage anchor, but without expenditure data, the purchasing-power comparison is incomplete.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.

Confidence & flags

A — official statistical series

B — official microdata, computed by this project

C — reconstructed from period surveys

D — scholarly estimate

Gap — no reliable record; shown as the gap it is

Reading the museum

Every fact is behind glass: its placard names the source, the year, who was measured, and how sure we are. Chart points and stage glyphs deep-link to their placards.

Falling metrics render in copper, rising in brass. Absent technology isn't drawn — a bare house says more than ghosts.