The Depression's impact on people:
Consumer spending on selected items, 1929-33
Food
Housing
Clothing
Automobiles
Medical care
Philanthropy
Value of shares on the NYSE
1929
$19.5
$11.5
$11.2
$ 2.6
$ 2.9
$ 1.2
$89.0
1933
$11.5
$ 7.5
$ 5.4
$ 0.8
$ 1.9
$ 0.8
$19.0
Historical Statistics of the United States, p. 319.
The Depression's impact on the economy
1929
Banks in operation
25,568
Prime interest rate
5.03%
Volume of stocks sold (NYSE) 1.1 B
Privately earned income
$45.5B
Personal and corporate savings $15.3B
1933
14,771
0.63%
0.65 B
$23.9B
$2.3B
Historical Statistics of the United States, pp. 235, 263, 1001, and 1007.
For 1925 the median asking price of existing homes in Washington DC was $7809, Historical
Statistics, series N149. For 1999 the median price was $176,500, Statistical Abstract (2000),
Table 1202, p. 716.
For 1925 the value of net residential wealth consisted of $51.1 billion of structures (excluding
land), or an average of $2,621 per each of 19.5 million dwelling units, from Historical Statistics,
series N133. For 1998 the value was $9,405 billion, or an average of $81,783 for each of
roughly 115 million units, Statistical Abstract (2000), Table 1222, p. 726
Evanston, IL Apartment Rent Indexes and CPI, 1925 = 100
Year
CPI for Rent
Specific
Address Index
Median Index
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
1999
100.0
90.3
61.9
68.7
71.9
86.1
103.1
112.1
118.5
134.6
167.9
234.2
320.2
395.4
450.6
506.9
100.0
122.7
62.2
82.1
108.3
134.5
158.9
155.9
154.9
232.3
335.6
494.5
695.9
846.8
955.7
1087.1
100.0
119.8
73.3
84.7
114.2
143.8
169.6
178.9
177.3
257.8
355.0
504.9
694.6
920.8
996.8
1257.6
CPI for Rent, 1982-84 = 100
21.0
1914
21.5
1918
27.4
1920
34.6
1925
31.2
1930
21.4
1935
23.7
1940
29.7
1950
38.7
1960
46.5
1970
52.5
1973
58.0
1975
64.8
1977
74.3
1979
80.9
1980
87.9
1981
100.1
1983
111.8
1985
123.1
1987
127.8
1988
132.8
1989
138.4
1990
143.3
1991
150.3
1993
157.8
1995
166.7
1997
177.5
1999
192.1
2001
(No of
Observations)
Address Index
N/A
10
10
6
N/A
N/A
N/A
6
7
N/A
3
3
5
11
12
10
(No of
Observations)
Median Index
16
16
37
35
N/A
9
25
28
23
16
22
23
20
29
42
26