Following the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, government relief spending increased drastically. In his first year in office, workers in major cities were receiving benefits equal to just over one-fifth of average manufacturing wages. By 1936, relief benefits had risen to over two-fifths of the value of manufacturing wages - this also coincided with a wage increase from around 17 U.S. dollars per week in 1933 to 23 U.S. dollars in 1936, which means that the total value of relief benefits more than doubled in these years.
Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940
Characteristic
Share of total wages
1940
34.9%
1939
38.3%
1938
39.3%
1937
37.6%
1936
42.4%
1935
33.3%
1934
31.2%
1933
21.7%
0%10%20%30%40%50%
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NBER. (January 1, 2005). Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 16, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/
NBER. "Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940." Chart. January 1, 2005. Statista. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/
NBER. (2005). Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/
NBER. "Average Annual Relief Benefits as a Percentage of Annual Manufacturing Earnings in The U.S. during The Great Depression from 1933 to 1940." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jan 2005, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/
NBER, Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/ (last visited May 16, 2025)
Average annual relief benefits as a percentage of annual manufacturing earnings in the U.S. during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1940 [Graph], NBER, January 1, 2005. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322236/us-federal-relief-spending-manufacturing-wages-great-depression-1930s/
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