It must also be remembered that though the wages measured in money were low, the cost of living was likewise low.

Rents were trifling, if indeed the tenements were not occupied free; the cost of fuel and food was low; and many expenses necessary in New England were superfluous in the South.
With the increasing number of mills and the rising price of agricultural products, the supply of industrial laborers became less abundant, and higher wages have been necessary to draw recruits from the farms until at present the rate of wages approaches that of New England.

The purchasing power is probably greater for, while the cost of living has greatly increased in the South, it is still lower than in other parts of the country.

This does not mean that the average Southern wage is equal to the New England average.

While there is a growing body of highly skilled operatives in the South, the rapid growth of the industry has made necessary the employment of an overwhelmingly large number of untrained or partially trained operatives, who cannot tend so many spindles or looms as the New England operatives.