vitrine · US · the 1920s

The 1920s 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
parlorroomskitchenbath & heatHomeownership rate, 1920: 45.6%Radio and automobile, 1920s: Radio: commercial broadcasting began 1920, ~40% of households by 1930. Automobile: ~26M registrations by 1930.gapTelephone diffusion, 1920s: ~33 per 1,000 population (1925)gap
era-graded light · absent technology isn't drawn · every glyph opens its specimen label
The home
The home · 1920s
45.6%A

Homeownership rate, 1920

% 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). The low point of the early-century decline. Homeownership had been falling since 1900 (46.7%) as urbanization and renting increased. The 1920s boom would start the recovery.
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
x
The home · 1920s
45.6%A

Homeownership rate, 1920

% 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). The low point of the early-century decline. Homeownership had been falling since 1900 (46.7%) as urbanization and renting increased. The 1920s boom would start the recovery.
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 · 1920s
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: No Census of Housing until 1940. Urban electrification was spreading rapidly in the 1920s; by 1930, ~85% of urban/non-farm homes had electricity. Rural electrification remained minimal (~11% of farms by 1935). Indoor plumbing was standard in new urban construction 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.
x
The home · 1920s
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: No Census of Housing until 1940. Urban electrification was spreading rapidly in the 1920s; by 1930, ~85% of urban/non-farm homes had electricity. Rural electrification remained minimal (~11% of farms by 1935). Indoor plumbing was standard in new urban construction 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 · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

Median family income, 1920s

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 before 1947. Manufacturing wages provide a proxy: $0.55/hr, ~47.4 hrs/week in 1920 ($26.02/week, ~$1,353/yr). By 1929: wages were similar in nominal terms but real wages had risen due to deflation. The NBER and Simon Kuznets produced retrospective national income estimates for the 1920s, but these are aggregate, not family-level.
Source note: Landing page listing Tables F-1 through F-23. Continuously updated. Last revision Sep 2025 (2024 data).
x
The budget · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

Median family income, 1920s

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 before 1947. Manufacturing wages provide a proxy: $0.55/hr, ~47.4 hrs/week in 1920 ($26.02/week, ~$1,353/yr). By 1929: wages were similar in nominal terms but real wages had risen due to deflation. The NBER and Simon Kuznets produced retrospective national income estimates for the 1920s, but these are aggregate, not family-level.
Source note: Landing page listing Tables F-1 through F-23. Continuously updated. Last revision Sep 2025 (2024 data).
The table
The table · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

The food basket, 1920s

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: No consumer expenditure survey for the 1920s. The 1918-19 wartime study and the 1934-36 study bracket the decade. BLS retail food price data exists for the 1920s but not in a household basket format.
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).
x
The table · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

The food basket, 1920s

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: No consumer expenditure survey for the 1920s. The 1918-19 wartime study and the 1934-36 study bracket the decade. BLS retail food price data exists for the 1920s but not in a household basket format.
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 · 1920s
56.3 male, 58.5 female (white)A

Life expectancy at birth, 1919-21

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). Up from 50.2/53.6 in 1909-11 — a gain of ~6 years in a decade. The 1920s would see further gains as public health measures (clean water, sanitation) expanded. By 1929-31: 59.1 male, 62.7 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.
x
The day · 1920s
56.3 male, 58.5 female (white)A

Life expectancy at birth, 1919-21

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). Up from 50.2/53.6 in 1909-11 — a gain of ~6 years in a decade. The 1920s would see further gains as public health measures (clean water, sanitation) expanded. By 1929-31: 59.1 male, 62.7 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 · 1920s
$0.55/hr, 47.4 hrs/week, $26.02/wkA

Manufacturing production worker wages, 1920

USD, nominal (hourly earnings, weekly hours, 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 802-804 (all manufacturing). Hourly: $0.55, weekly hours: 47.4, weekly earnings: $26.02. By 1925: $0.54/hr, 44.5 hrs/week, $24.11/wk. By 1929: $0.56/hr, 44.2 hrs/week, $24.76/wk. The 1920s saw flat nominal wages but rising real wages (deflation) and shorter hours.
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
x
The day · 1920s
$0.55/hr, 47.4 hrs/week, $26.02/wkA

Manufacturing production worker wages, 1920

USD, nominal (hourly earnings, weekly hours, 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 802-804 (all manufacturing). Hourly: $0.55, weekly hours: 47.4, weekly earnings: $26.02. By 1925: $0.54/hr, 44.5 hrs/week, $24.11/wk. By 1929: $0.56/hr, 44.2 hrs/week, $24.76/wk. The 1920s saw flat nominal wages but rising real wages (deflation) and shorter hours.
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 · 1920s
44.5C

Women's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1920

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
x
The day · 1920s
44.5C

Women's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1920

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 · 1920s
3.9C

Men's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1920

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
x
The day · 1920s
3.9C

Men's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1920

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
The day · 1920s
Food prep 19.9, house cleaning 9.3, clothing care 11.5, childcare 7.2, purchasing/mgmt/travel 4.4 hrs/weekC

How a 1920s housewife's week broke down (Wilson study)

hours per week by activity category, nonemployed town housewives

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 3, '1920s Town Housewives, Wilson Study' column. Total home production: 52.4 hrs/week. Wilson's time-diary study (conducted ~1920s, published 193-). For comparison, 1965 housewives (AHTUS) spent less on food prep (16.5) and clothing care (6.9) but more on purchasing/management/travel (10.4) — market substitution shifted time between categories, not eliminated it. Farm housewives (USDA 1944) spent even more on food prep (23.5 hrs) due to preservation and from-scratch cooking.
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
x
The day · 1920s
Food prep 19.9, house cleaning 9.3, clothing care 11.5, childcare 7.2, purchasing/mgmt/travel 4.4 hrs/weekC

How a 1920s housewife's week broke down (Wilson study)

hours per week by activity category, nonemployed town housewives

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 3, '1920s Town Housewives, Wilson Study' column. Total home production: 52.4 hrs/week. Wilson's time-diary study (conducted ~1920s, published 193-). For comparison, 1965 housewives (AHTUS) spent less on food prep (16.5) and clothing care (6.9) but more on purchasing/management/travel (10.4) — market substitution shifted time between categories, not eliminated it. Farm housewives (USDA 1944) spent even more on food prep (23.5 hrs) due to preservation and from-scratch cooking.
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 · 1920s
~33 per 1,000 population (1925)A

Telephone diffusion, 1920s

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 1925: ~33 per 1,000 population (~14.4 million total phones). Household percentage not directly reported until 1944. The 1920s saw rapid telephone expansion — the Bell System nearly tripled its subscriber base.
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.
x
What had arrived · 1920s
~33 per 1,000 population (1925)A

Telephone diffusion, 1920s

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 1925: ~33 per 1,000 population (~14.4 million total phones). Household percentage not directly reported until 1944. The 1920s saw rapid telephone expansion — the Bell System nearly tripled its subscriber base.
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 · 1920s
Radio: commercial broadcasting began 1920, ~40% of households by 1930. Automobile: ~26M registrations by 1930.A

Radio and automobile, 1920s

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: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2. Commercial radio began with KDKA (Pittsburgh) in November 1920. By 1930, ~40% of households had a radio — one of the fastest technology diffusions in history. Automobile registrations: 1910: ~458K, 1920: ~8.1M, 1930: ~26.7M. The Model T (1908-1927) made car ownership accessible to the middle class.
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.
x
What had arrived · 1920s
Radio: commercial broadcasting began 1920, ~40% of households by 1930. Automobile: ~26M registrations by 1930.A

Radio and automobile, 1920s

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: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2. Commercial radio began with KDKA (Pittsburgh) in November 1920. By 1930, ~40% of households had a radio — one of the fastest technology diffusions in history. Automobile registrations: 1910: ~458K, 1920: ~8.1M, 1930: ~26.7M. The Model T (1908-1927) made car ownership accessible to the middle class.
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 · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

Affordability comparisons, 1920s

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 (~$1,353/yr in 1920) provide a partial anchor.
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.
x
A day's work buys · 1920s
no reliable record accessible onlineD

Affordability comparisons, 1920s

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 (~$1,353/yr in 1920) provide a partial anchor.
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 · 1920s
~$949 (average wholesale, computed from factory sales)A

Average new car price, 1920

USD, nominal (wholesale value per passenger car)

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: Computed from Historical Statistics, Series Q 148-162. 1920: 1,905,500 passenger cars sold at $1,809 million wholesale value = ~$949 average per car. The Model T (1908-1927) drove prices down — by 1920 a new Model T cost ~$395 (retail), but the average wholesale across all cars was higher due to luxury models. Wholesale value; retail/transaction price would be higher. Population: all US factory sales of passenger cars.
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
x
A day's work buys · 1920s
~$949 (average wholesale, computed from factory sales)A

Average new car price, 1920

USD, nominal (wholesale value per passenger car)

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: Computed from Historical Statistics, Series Q 148-162. 1920: 1,905,500 passenger cars sold at $1,809 million wholesale value = ~$949 average per car. The Model T (1908-1927) drove prices down — by 1920 a new Model T cost ~$395 (retail), but the average wholesale across all cars was higher due to luxury models. Wholesale value; retail/transaction price would be higher. Population: all US factory sales of passenger cars.
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

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.