TABLE 53.-Per cent of households of each specified number of persons, by general nativity and race of head of household. A larger proportion of the total number of households are composed of 3 persons than of any other number. Households of 4 or 5 persons are also relatively common. The most frequent size of the households of the native-born of native father is 5 persons, but a comparatively large number have 2 or 3 persons. The most frequent size of the foreign-born households is 3 persons, but an almost equally large proportion are composed of 4 persons. Large households are more common on the whole among the South Italians than any other race. CONGESTION. Although the tabulations and discussion preceding are primarily concerned with congestion, the series of tables next submitted sets forth in a more direct way the degree of crowding within the households studied and its bearing upon living conditions. The first table which follows shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the average number of persons in apartments of each specified number of rooms: TABLE 54.--Average number of persons in apartments of each specified number of rooms, by general nativity and race of head of household. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) Average number of persons in apartments of each specified number of rooms. General nativity and race of head of household. Native-born of native This table shows that 4.58 was the average number of persons to each apartment occupied by the 272 families included in the inquiry. This percentage is closely equaled by that of the foreign-born, but is higher by a fraction than that of the native-born. The races do not exhibit any wide variation from the general average. The following table shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the average number of persons per apartment, per room, and per sleeping room: TABLE 55.-Average number of persons per apartment, per room, and per sleeping room, by general nativity and race of head of household. The total number of households average 4.58 persons per apartment, 1.13 persons per room, and 2.19 persons per sleeping room. The households of the foreign-born average a larger number of persons in each particular than the households of the native-born of native father. Moreover, none of the specified races averages as small a number of persons per apartment, per room, or per sleeping room as the native-born of native father. The South Italians and Poles show the greatest degree of crowding, the first named averaging 5.20 persons per apartment, 1.43 persons per room, and 2.42 persons per sleeping room, while the Poles average 4.80 persons per apartment, 1.30 persons per room, and 2.50 persons per sleeping room. The range in number of persons per room is shown in the table following, according to general nativity and race of head of household. TABLE 56.-Persons per room, by general nativity and race of head of household. In the 272 households studied the average number of persons per room is 1.13. When compared with the native-born, the foreign-born group shows a much higher average number of persons per room. Slightly less than 75 per cent of all households studied have 1 or more persons per room, while only 8.8 per cent have 2 or more persons per room. None of the households the heads of which are native-born has as many as 2 persons per room, and only 33.3 per cent have 1 or more persons per room, leaving 66.7 per cent of the households who have less than 1 person per room. Of the foreignborn, 77.7 per cent have 1 or more persons per room and only 9.6 per cent have 2 or more persons per room. Slightly more than 20 per cent of the South Italian households have 2 or more persons per room, as compared with none of the Armenians and 1.9 per cent of the North Italians. Of the households in which the number of persons per room is 1 or more, the Poles show the largest proportion, which is 92 per cent. The South Italian households, of which 89.4 per cent have 1 or more persons per room, show the second largest proportion. The Armenians, who show 60.7 per cent, present the smallest proportion of households the heads of which are foreignborn having 1 or more persons per room. The table next presented shows the range in the number of persons per sleeping room, according to general nativity and race of head of household: TABLE 57.—Persons per sleeping room, by general nativity and race of head of household. Of the total number of households, 72.4 per cent have 2 or more persons per sleeping room, 23.5 per cent have 3 or more, and 5.1 per cent have 4 or more. These conditions closely reflect the persons per sleeping room in the households of the foreign-born, all but 21 of the total number being of that class. In the greater proportion of the households of the native-born of native father there are less than 2 persons per sleeping room. However, each specified race of foreignborn most commonly has 2 or more persons per sleeping room, the proportions ranging from 88 per cent of the Poles to 64.3 per cent of the Armenians. The latter race and the North Italians have the smallest proportion of households having each specified number of persons per sleeping room; consequently, the North Italians and Armenians have the smallest average number of persons per sleeping room. The effect of congestion within the households upon living arrangements may be seen from the final table of this series, which shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the number and percentage of households regularly using all except each specified number of rooms for sleeping purposes. TABLE 58.-Number and per cent of households regularly sleeping in all except each specified number of rooms, by general nativity and race of head of household. The greater proportion of the total number of households regularly use all except 2 rooms to sleep in; 27.9 per cent sleep in all except 1 room. These figures closely reflect the conditions in the households of the foreign-born, since of the 272 households 251 are of that class. |