The greater part of the trade of Jolo is handled by the Jolo Trading Company, the firm of Hernandez & Co., and the commercial houses of Chaun Lee and Ban Guan, all of which are controlled and managed by Chinese merchants. The following list compiled in the office of the Jolo Trading Company, for the Far Eastern Review, is a fair estimate of the prospective exports of the town for the coming two years:
| Article | Amount | Price | Total |
| Piculs. | |||
| Hemp | 1,000 | ₱21 | ₱21,000 |
| Pearl shells | 150 | 45 | 6,750 |
| Trepang or beche-de-mar | 50 | 30 | 1,500 |
| Shark fins | 20 | 45 | 900 |
| Hemp rope | 30 | 25 | 750 |
| Caracoles (sea shells for buttons, etc.) | 40 | 12 | 480 |
| Black shells | 10 | 8 | 80 |
| Copra | 500 | 7 | 3,500 |
| Seaweeds | 40 | 4 | 160 |
| Hides | 10 | 20 | 200 |
| Cacao | 10 | 50 | 500 |
| Tortoise shells | 1½ | 1,800 | 2,700 |
| Sea horses | 240 | ||
| Grand total | 38,760 |
Hemp is generally exported to Manila, while the other articles mentioned in the above table are generally exported to Singapore.
Trepang, shark fins, seaweed, and sea horses are foods highly prized by the Chinese.
If the value of pearls taken is estimated on the basis suggested by the president of the Jolo Trading Company, it will bring the total up to ₱58,760 per month.
Population
The present population of Jolo is less than 2,000. This includes all the natives and foreigners living in Tulay and Busbus; but the United States troops are excepted. The bulk of the inhabitants is made up of Filipinos, Chinese, and Moros. The census report of 1903 gives the following statistics, which include Tulay and San Remondo, but not Busbus:
| Color | Males | Females | |
| Brown | 309 | 306 | |
| Ilokano | 10 | 4 | |
| Moro | 9 | 98 | |
| Tagalog | 103 | 66 | |
| Bisayan | 161 | 132 | |
| Foreign born | 26 | 6 | |
| Mixed | 74 | 48 | |
| Yellow | 429 | 56 | |
| White | 31 | 17 | |
| Total | 843 | 427 | |
| Walled town | 541 |
| Tulay | 615 |
| San Remondo | 114 |
| Total | 1,270 |
Males of voting age