<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 A000000 01/31/96
000 C000000 0000276914
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0
000 J000000 U
001 A000000 LORD ABBETT DEVELOPING GROWTH FUND, INC.
001 B000000 811-2871
001 C000000 2128481870
002 A000000 767 FIFTH AVENUE
002 B000000 NEW YORK
002 C000000 NY
002 D010000 10153
002 D020000 0101
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
062 A000000 N
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 0.0
062 Q000000 0.0
062 R000000 0.0
071 A000000 96735
071 B000000 82040
071 C000000 163691
071 D000000 50
072 A000000 6
074 N000000 198499
074 T000000 197602
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 170019
077 A000000 Y
<PAGE> PAGE 2
SIGNATURE JOSEPH VAN DYKE
TITLE ASSISTANT TREASURER
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<PAGE>
<ARTICLE> 6
<CIK> 0000276914
<NAME> LORD ABBETT DEVELOPING GROWTH FUND, INC.
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> 12-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> JAN-31-1996
<PERIOD-START> FEB-01-1995
<PERIOD-END> JAN-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 107638428
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 194190135
<RECEIVABLES> 836743
<ASSETS-OTHER> 547219
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 2925000
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 198499097
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 363750
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 533395
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 897145
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 197601952
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 108538585
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 17194069
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 13311027
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> (2504315)
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 2723928
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 86551707
<NET-ASSETS> 182519187
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 380389
<INTEREST-INCOME> 496401
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 1756449
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (879659)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 40442030
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 23770135
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 63332506
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 39371296
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 3597160
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> 2978218
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 3264100
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 70022548
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> (1624656)
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 1649036
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 1098965
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 1756449
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 170018598
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 9.58
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.02)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 4.795
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> 0
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 2.865
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 11.49
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.03
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
Board of Directors and Shareholders
Lord Abbett Developing Growth Fund, Inc.:
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of Lord Abbett
Developing Growth Fund, Inc. ("Fund") for the year ended January 31, 1996, we
considered its internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding
securities, in order to determine our auditing procedures for the purpose of
expressing our opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the
requirements of Form N-SAR, not to provide assurance on the internal control
structure.
The management of the Fund is responsible for establishing and maintaining an
internal control structure. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and
judgments by management are required to assess the expected benefits and related
costs of internal control structure policies and procedures. Two of the
objectives of an internal control structure are to provide management with
reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are safeguarded against loss
from unauthorized use or disposition and that transactions are executed in
accordance with management's authorization and recorded properly to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of any evaluation
of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of the
design and operation may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be material
weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the design or
operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not reduce to
a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts that
would be material in relation to the financial statements being audited may
occur and not be detected within a timely period by employees in the normal
course of performing their assigned functions. However, we noted no matters
involving the internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding
securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of
January 31, 1996.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
March 1, 1996
