Economic Growth and Occupational Mobility in 19th Century Urban America: A Reappraisal

• Published in: Journal of social history 1977-01, Vol.11 (1), p.52-74
• Main Authors: Broadman, Anthony E., Weber, Michael P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical estimating; Baptists; Cities; Communities; Demography/Demographic/ Demographical; Economic/Economics/Economical; Economy/Economies; Ethnicity; Growth; Marital status; Mobility; Occupation/Occupations/Occupational; Occupational mobility; Property ownership; Regression coefficients; Savings accounts; Urban (see also Ru/Ur)
• ISSN: 0022-4529; 1527-1897
• DOI: 10.1353/jsh/11.1.52

Specific flaws in investigating occupational mobility rates in nineteenth century America have prevented formation of an accurate assessment. Country of origin, religion, industrial occupation, or the effects of the Ur economy on the worker, choice of city investigated, & time period were not variables included in previous studies. To correct this deficiency, the current investigation focusing on Warren, Pa, from 1875 to 1930 was undertaken. Census records of in- & out-migration, property records, taxable savings & income, occupation, & manufacturing records were used to analyze the period. Prior to 1880, there was a generally high out-migration of the M population (70%); afterwards, oil was discovered & industries & manufacturing around the oil industry resulted in a swelling of the population from 2,800 to 11,000 by 1910 & a M out-migration rate of 50%. Those who succumbed to out-migration before 1930 are thought to have been primarily single, unskilled, without financial assets, & probably Irish or British. After 1930, out-migrants were generally of an upwardly mobile group with financial assets such as property, savings, & income. Scandinavians, Germans, French, Baptists, & Catholics who were married, white-collar, & professionals with financial assets, tended to stay in the same Ur environment. Therefore, the probability that a person stays or leaves is assumed to be a function of ethnicity, religion, age, marital status, financial assets, industrial occupation, & length of time in the community. Mobility rates for occupations were calculated using simple matrices. The overwhelming majority of professionals tended to stay professional, 75% of the skilled workers remained skilled, & 66% of the unskilled remained unskilled in the chosen time period. Decrease of the skill level indicated that the probability of staying at the skill level declined. The professional & highly skilled worker had less likelihood of being downwardly mobile, & unskilled workers had a lesser chance of being upwardly mobile. Individual success seemed more related to, & determined by, a particular city than by ethnic & cultural variables. In the early 1900s, ethnic background was more important than in the late 1800s. The time one arrived in a city, the skill level at a particular occupation, & changing occupations were the primary variables determining success. 6 Tables, Appendix. A. Rothman.