| Class of establishment. | Length of residence in New York City of proprietors. | |||||||||
| Less than 2 yrs. | 2 yrs.-3 yrs. 11 mos. | 4 yrs.-5 yrs. 11 mos. | 6 yrs.-9 yrs. 11 mos. | 10 yrs.-19 yrs. 11 mos. | 20 yrs.-29 yrs. 11 mos. | 30 yrs. and over. | Born in New York City. | Doubtful and Unknown. | Total. | |
| Barber shops | 1 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 10 | 4 | — | 1 | 58 |
| Brokers | — | — | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| Coal, wood and ice | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| Dressmaking and millinery | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 11 |
| Employment agencies | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 5 | 17 |
| Express and moving vans | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 4 | 15 |
| Groceries | — | 1 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
| Hairdressers, etc. | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 9 |
| Hotels and lodging houses | — | — | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19 |
| Pool and billiard rooms | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 11 |
| Printers | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Restaurant and lunch rooms | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 33 |
| Saloons and cafés | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 |
| Tailoring, pressing, etc. | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | 24 |
| Undertakers | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 3 | — | 1 | 5 | 14 |
| Miscellaneous | — | 1 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 53 |
| Total | 11 | 18 | 33 | 61 | 108 | 43 | 28 | 11 | 50 | 363 |
5. SIZE OF BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
The size of business enterprises was measured in three ways: (1) the number of employees besides proprietors; (2) the floor space occupied and (3) the rental paid for the place in which the business was carried on. Obviously all the enterprises could not be measured by all three tests. For example, the amount of floor space occupied and monthly rental paid by a brokerage firm might not bear so close a relation to size as the number of employees, nor would rental alone be an index of size of a coal, wood and ice business, since cellars, which call for smaller rental than other space, are used. But each enterprise was covered by more than one of the measurements, so that a fair estimate is given of its size.
In ascertaining the number of employees, the attempt was made to include only those who had no part in the ownership, but who gave a large part or all of their time to some work connected with the enterprise. As far as possible this was confined to paid employees, but in a few cases the question of wages of those employed could not be successfully ascertained on account of reticence of the employer. No record was made of whether or not the time of the proprietor was also put into the business since in this respect there was great variation among establishments.
Only a small proportion, 77 out of 309 establishments, were without employees. Yet very few, 21 in all, employed five or more persons. The largest number, 87, had only one regular employee, 65 establishments had two employees, 29 had three and 16 had four persons regularly employed. The number of employees of 14 firms was not ascertained.
Floor space occupied by many establishments is a good index of size, especially in New York City. Of course, in the case of such establishments as brokers, employment agencies and express and moving-van firms that require an office only, this is not a criterion. But for many other establishments in a city where square feet of floor space is carefully figured upon in the cost of the product, such a measure has considerable value in estimating business enterprises. In securing the measurement of floor space in the different establishments it was not possible to make an actual measurement in many instances. In some cases the proprietors knew accurately the length and breadth of the place they occupied; in other cases where measurements could not be taken estimates of length and breadth were made, taking a rough view of the frontage and depth of the building or apartment occupied.
A goodly number of enterprises, such as dressmakers, milliners, shoemakers and tailoring "bushelers" carried on their business in the front room of a ground-floor flat and lived, often with families, in the rear rooms. In those cases, only the floor space of the room used for business purposes was included in the estimate.
Establishments to the number of 17 were estimated as having less than 150 square feet of floor space; six of these were offices of brokers and express and moving-van firms. The greatest number of establishments, 186 in all, were estimated to occupy between 150 and 499 square feet of floor space. Thirty-one establishments occupied between 500 and 999 square feet of floor space; 17 between 1,000 and 1,999 square feet; 4 between 2,000 and 2,999 square feet; 10 between 3,000 and 4,999 square feet; 8 occupied 5,000 or more square feet; 36 were not known—a total of 309 establishments.
Thus, it is seen that the typical Negro business enterprise occupies small floor space, since 234, or 75.7 per cent, of the 309 establishments occupied 999 square feet or less. Table XXII ([p. 107]) is included to show the details as to floor space in square feet occupied by each class of establishment.