The Economic Impact of Elderly Winter Residents in the Phoenix Area

This article adds to the emerging literature on the seasonal migration of the elderly by considering the economic benefits and costs to a large receiving area. Estimates of the number of "snowbird" households are derived from an annual mobile home and travel trailer park census and a local savings company sample. These estimates are then combined with individual park resident survey results to generate expenditure totals for park snowbirds and all snowbirds during the 1986-1987 season. Conflicts between permanent and seasonal residents are considered after expenditure totals are derived, and the article concludes with views about future research needs.