Quite a Lot More

THE ECONOMY

After two years of research, the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week reported that urban dwellers paid more to live "moderately" in 1966 than they did to enjoy a "modest but adequate" existence in 1959. Exactly how much more they paid was lost in weighted statistics and educated guesses, but the B.L.S. figures indicated that it was really a great deal more.

For its study, the B.L.S. created a family of four: a 38-year-old employed husband, his wife and their two children, eight and 13. The bureau then worked out a budget for them, based on what it costs to live "moderately" in some 40 U.S. cities. In the high-priced area of New York-Northeastern New Jersey, for example, it amounted to $10,195 annually, against $5,970 seven years ago. On a national average, the budget for B.L.S.'s urban family of four increased from $6,098 in 1959 to $9,191 in 1966. Trouble is, in 1959 B.L.S. assumed for statistical purposes that its mythical families rented their housing--while 75% were said to own their homes in 1966. Without any home-owning facts or figures from 1959, drawing comparisons on increased housing costs--a family's biggest expenditure--becomes a dubious game.

The survey showed some new trends in family spending. The automobile has become even more important than before, hard liquor is now more popular than beer, and teen-age boys are spending less money on haircuts.

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