The comparisons of those occupations selected are striking. Among the males, for domestic and personal service occupations, from 1890 to 1900, the white wage-earners increased 42.3 per cent and the Negro wage-earners increased 31.1 per cent. Here we see the influence of the growth of wealthy classes in the industrial and commercial centers, who require increasing numbers to supply their developing wants. In trade and transportation occupations, while the number of white wage-earners increased 25.2 per cent from 1890 to 1900, the Negro wage-earners increased 39.1 per cent during the same decade. For the same period, in manufacturing and mechanical pursuits, the white workers increased 6.1 per cent and the Negro workers increased 12.1 per cent. This indicates the dependence of the growing industry of the South upon its black male workers and shows how strong upon them is the economic pull.

For the females, the increases are no less telling, especially for Negro workers. In ten selected occupations for Southern cities, the white female workers decreased 29.1 per cent and the Negro female workers increased 36 per cent from 1890 to 1900. The decrease for the whites was due to an excessive decrease among dressmakers, milliners and seamstresses, which may be a discrepancy of the census returns.

The full list of selected occupations in Southern cities for 1890 and 1900 are given in full in Table IV, following:

Table IV. Increase of White and Negro Wage-earners in Selected Occupations, Southern Cities, 1890-1900.[A]

Occupation.Male.
No. of cities.Native white.Negro.
1890.1900.Per cent increase.1890.1900.Per cent increase.
Domestic and personal service—29,40741,85442.354,17971,04731.1
Barbers, hairdressers101,4362,208—1,9462,317—
Bartenders81,6882,486—277389—
Laborers (not specified)1019,84327,759—35,86851,346—
Restaurant and saloon keepers91,5772,107—377474—
Servants and waiters101,3951,128—15,35816,071—
Watchmen, policemen, detectives, etc.103,4416,166—353450—
Trade and transportation—71,29189,29425.218,30525,45939.1
Agents, collectors and commercial travelers108,57113,031—287411—
Bankers, brokers and officials (bank)82,3091,824—7613—
Draymen, hackmen, teamsters106,3858,117—11,24614,545—
Messengers, packers, porters, etc.[B]93,3024,486—3,5546,225—
Steam railway employees1011,03311,532—2,2133,048—
Street railway employees81,9873,366—85170—
Bookkeepers, accountants, etc.[C]1037,70446,638—8441,057—
Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits—55,23664,28816.311,54812,88711.6
Bakers and butchers94,1114,512—632640—
Blacksmiths[D]103,7224,003—852935—
Boot and shoemakers and repairers102,1951,816—1,184965—
Carpenters and joiners1012,94712,394—3,0292,762—
Cotton and textile mill operatives72,6482,534—258281—
Engineers, firemen (not locomotive)103,3795,151—8811,224—
Iron and steel workers93,3664,808—779752—
Machinists105,0868,088—92174—
Marble and stone cutters51,009906—150149—
Masons (brick and stone)62,6632,362—7311,264—
Painters, glaziers, varnishers106,8077,372—875782—
Plasterers7672633—886811—
Plumbers, gas and steam fitters71,9252,646—113151—
Saw and planing mill employees72,5434,409—7491,062—
Tailors102,1632,654—337307—
Total—155,934195,43625.384,032109,39330.2

Occupation.Female.
No. of cities.Native white.Negro.
1890.1900.Per cent increase.1890.1900.Per cent increase.
Housekeepers and stewardesses101,4751,956—752513—
Laborers (not specified)10332712—676901—
Laundresses101,5432,409—25,96841,386—
Nurses and midwives107812,472—1,0973,691—
Servants[E]1010,1769,983—47,19856,729—
Saleswomen72,6334,808—3728—
Dressmakers, milliners, seamstresses1041,31322,007—6,5286,859—
Tailoresses62,8142,950—164131—
Total—61,06747,297[F]29.1[F]81,027110,23836.0

NOTES FOR TABLE IV.

[A] Figures for 1890 from Eleventh Census, Pop., Part ii, pp. 630-703; for 1900, Twelfth Census, Occupations, Table 43. The cities are from the list in Tables III and IV supra.

[B] Includes office-boys, shippers, and helpers in stores in 1900, probably not separated in 1890.