In a message dated 3/18/00 4:45:40 PM !!!First Boot!!!, foxmeadow@freewwweb.com writes: << Statistic buffs, Can anyone tell me if there are statistics out "there" somewhere that would give a person a rough (real rough) idea of what percentage of households have a piano on average for the U.S. or maybe even regionally (may be asking way too much there). I'm revising my business plan, and I'm trying to estimate the tuning market in my area. If anybody has any leads to statistical data, or even a guess as to what the percentage might be I'm all ears. (Isn't that a good trait for a tuner?) Todd L. Mapes >> A long time ago Kimball reported that the number of pianos in a given geographical area would be about 19% of the population. This would include pianos in homes, churches, schools, bars, hotels, etc. It is also estimated that one piano tuner can make a living with about 2000 pianos in a customer file. This doesn't mean all 2000 get tuned twice a year, but that 2000 pianos will keep a piano tuner busy, and with an adequate income. Therefore, using the above formula, there should be one piano tuner for every 10,000 people. Now, maybe the percentage is lower than it used to be, but I would still guess that one piano tuner should be able to make a living in an area of about 15,000 people. Wim
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