22 BULLETIN 1466, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
house divided ,by the average size of household gives 2 rooms, 1.2 
rooms, and 1.5 rooms per person for the three sections in the order 
named above. 
Allowance should be made in comparisons of the above averages for 
rooms reported as not furnished for living purposes by some of the 
families represented in the study. The number of families reporting 
rooms not furnished for use varied with different sections and were 
lacking for several of the localities, but those data available suggest 
that the number of rooms not used might average about 2 rooms per 
household for the New England families and about 0.5 of a room 
per household for the southern and the north central families. 
With the allowance for rooms not used taken into account, there 
is little or no suggestion of overcrowding among the families studied, 
except possibly the southern families, as the term " overcrowded ? ' 
is used in housing legislation. Usually an average of one room per 
person, exclusive of bath, is regarded as the minimum requirement 
consistent with health and decency. 6 
The average number of -bedrooms furnished for use for those 
families reporting, Table 3, amounted to 3.3 rooms per household, 
but wide variations between the sections are evident. The average 
number of the furnished bedrooms actually used for sleeping pur- 
poses by members of the household could not be determined from 
the data available. 
Slightly more than a twentieth of all the homes reporting were 
completely modern; that is, fitted with central heating and central 
lighting systems, running water, kitchen sink, bathroom (equipped 
with stationary tub and bowl), indoor toilet, and sewage disposal. 
About a fifth of the homes were partially modern ; that is, fitted with 
a part of the improvements named. Almost three-fourths of the 
homes have none of the modern improvements mentioned above. 
As with the average number of rooms per house, wide differences 
are evident. 
None of the factors considered — value, number of rooms, or extent 
of modern improvements — are regarded as complete measures of the 
adequacy of the farm house for family living purposes. They give 
little indication of floor space, window space for light and ventila- 
tion, convenient arrangement, or the extent to which the kitchen and 
other rooms may have been used at times for farm business purposes. 
More detailed studies of the construction, arrangement, balance 
of equipment and furnishings, and finally exterior appearance and 
surroundings of farm houses are needed. More consideration can 
well be given to the farm house which must serve as the place of 
preparing food, eating, sleeping and resting, and developing home 
life. 
FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS 
For all families the average value of furniture and household 
furnishings purchased during the year amounted to $40.20 per 
family. Only slight differences for the three sections are evident, 
and for all families this expenditure is 2.5 per cent of the average 
value of all goods. 
MINIMUM QUANTITY BUDGET NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN A WORKER'S FAMILY OF FIVE IN 
health and decency. Bur. Applied Economics Bulletin 7. 1920. Washington, D. C. 
