How many people live full-time in an RV?

[Michelle K]

Hi there!

I'm new to this world and was interested in finding out how many people live in an RV full time. My partner and I are exploring the idea of purchasing an RV for part-time adventures, but I'm wondering about the possibility of longer term living.

There was a thread about this 6 years ago that suggested it is close to 250,000, but I'm wondering if there is updated information anywhere.

Thanks!

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Not sure what you are asking.  Two people comfortably for people count.  What is the 350,000 relative to?

[Michelle K]

Hi @Mark and Dale Bruss, 

Thanks for catching my mistake. The 250,000 was an estimate of how many RVs were being lived in full time in 2011. I'm wondering if anyone has an updated number for 2016-17.

[DuffMan]

already answered.

[Big Greg]

The last estimate I saw was one million plus traveling full timers. 

This could be tricky to estimate as many people (families, couples, singles) might be stationary in an RV due only to financial issues of the housing bubble a few years ago, the past poor economy and jobs market.  We see lots of people living in campgrounds with trailers that will never move.  Are these full timers by definition?  I don't consider them RVers.  Ten years ago full time RVers might have been more retired full time travelers.  We also meet many traveling construction workers with and without their families that spend a few weeks or months at one location and move to their next work site.  Lots of snowbirds spend their winter months in RVs but the rest of the year in a sticks & bricks.      Greg  

[Biker56]

You can count me as 1.

[trailertraveler]

27 minutes ago, Big Greg said:

We see lots of people living in campgrounds with trailers that will never move.  Are these full timers by definition?  I don't consider them RVers.

This is almost always part of the discussion as to what is a full timer. There are also those that live in what was designed as an RV that now sits on the back forty or on a small rural lot.

I believe the 2010 Census identified over a million living in non-traditional housing which includes boats and some other structures.  After Hurricane Harvey, there could be 100,000 or more additional families living in what were manufactured as RVs provided by FEMA. I saw estimates as high as 150,000 FEMA trailers in use after Hurricane Katrina. 

35 minutes ago, Big Greg said:

We also meet many traveling construction workers with and without their families that spend a few weeks or months at one location and move to their next work site.

We have met many of them also and many do not consider themselves RVers and do not belong to RV Clubs or associations, but they are living in what was designed as an RV.

[chirakawa]

I don't see what's so complicated.  If you stay in an rv sometimes, you're an rv'er.  If your rv is your primary abode, you're a full time rv'er.  That doesn't mean you're a traveling rv'er, a recreational rv'er, a retired rv'er, or a "living the dream" rv'er, it just means you're an rv'er.

[Big Greg]

Yes, you have a point, if you live in an RV your an RVer.

My feeling is full time RVing is a lifestyle of using the RV to travel, explore and work rather than just as an economical stationary shelter.  It also means you have no sticks and bricks.  I think the Escapees members are travelers and that's their target member.  This is just my definition, some will vary.       Greg

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Michelle K said:

The 250,000 was an estimate of how many RVs were being lived in full time in 2011. I'm wondering if anyone has an updated number for 2016-17.The 250,000 was an estimate of how many RVs were being lived in full time in 2011. I'm wondering if anyone has an updated number for 2016-17.

 

Really, there is no way to actually know that and there have been many attempts to justify various numbers of people. The reference to the US Census Bureau's numbers for "non-traditional housing" don't help much since reading their definition of such housing it includes the homeless, those in shelters, boats, RVs and pretty much any type of home that isn't typical living quarters. Throw in the fact that we received our census form in 2010 via the mail through our Escapee address and filled it out as a single family home, and things really get difficult since I know that we were not the only people who do so. I have read in a campground owner's magazine that there are more than 100, 000 RV sites in the Rio Grande Valley of TX alone. I do know that the Escapee mail service has well over 15, 000 active addresses. I have been RVing for a long time and with any luck, we will continue for much longer. 

And welcome to the Escapee forums! We are happy to have you with us and we will do all possible to assist and support you as you explore this lifestyle. 

[Al F]

19 hours ago, Michelle K said:

Hi there!

I'm new to this world and was interested in finding out how many people live in an RV full time. My partner and I are exploring the idea of purchasing an RV for part-time adventures, but I'm wondering about the possibility of longer term living.

There was a thread about this 6 years ago that suggested it is close to 250,000, but I'm wondering if there is updated information anywhere.

Thanks!

I think it is fair to say there are lots more than 250,000 fulltime RV'ers.  I would guess the number is closer to 1 million, and that guesstimate is for RV'ers who travel for pleasure or work remotely out of the RV.  I am not including those who live in an RV and working in oil fields or work locally while living permanently in an RV park. 

This number of 1 million is really a guesstimate, as Kirk wrote, there is no real way to know for sure. 

One thing is true, in many areas it is hard to find a campground or RV park with an open spot at the popular times of the year to visit those places. 

Is there some reason for knowing the number of fulltimer's, other than curiosity? 

[Twotoes]

I would say that if you live in it full time it is no longer for recreation hence it is no longer an RV but a home so the question asked should be how many people live in a home that has wheels. 

[DuffMan]

6 hours ago, Al F said:

Is there some reason for knowing the number of fulltimer's, other than curiosity? 

1

A flood of RVrs that use a mail service as their permanent address can play havoc on local elections!

[jblscooper]

We have been residents of Polk County for 25 years and have never voted in a local election as we don't know local issues. National, you bet.

 

jim

[DuffMan]

3 minutes ago, jblscooper said:

We have been residents of Polk County for 25 years and have never voted in a local election as we don't know local issues. National, you bet.

 

Probably the same for the majority - but it scares the heck out of local politicians.  There have been several threads here talking about restrictive legislation being proposed by local politicians because of RVrs using a local mail service as their residence - politicians admitted they were afraid of a nonresident voting block dictating local laws to the detriment of local residents.

[bobsallyh]

I would be hard put to think that a mail service with RVers would really affect the outcome, although like another poster said, it will keep the politicians semi awake. How about a college town with 20,000 students that use the college town's address?? I don't think there is a mail service in one location that has 20,000 RV active mail service customers.

[ToddF]

Regardless of an exact number, or the type of rver, there are more and more rvers and full timers out there. This means competition for campsites. All except 1 of the Escapee co-op parks have long waiting lists. This an example how the increasing numbers affect the scene. Some areas are worse than others. The RV bloggers (they're a dime a dozen) even have an annual convention now!

[mptjelgin]

I've seen the same claims about huge retirement communities (think Sun City) coming into a rural area. Folks think that they won't support bond issues or school taxes. Generally the concerns prove to be unfounded. 

[DuffMan]

5 hours ago, bobsallyh said:

I don't think there is a mail service in one location that has 20,000 RV active mail service customers.

 

I believe Escapees Livingston, TX has ~13,000.  I wonder if they have affected any local elections? 

[trailertraveler]

6 hours ago, DuffMan said:

I believe Escapees Livingston, TX has ~13,000.  I wonder if they have affected any local elections? 

There was a lawsuit over this very issue regarding the 2000 Polk County election. You can read the appeal decision here. Enough Escapees members are registered to vote in Polk County at the mail service address that they had to create a second precinct. At that time, the court determined that 5192 people voted using the Escapees address. The trial court and the appeals court found that the appellant (the loser of the election) "simply did not meet his burden of showing a sufficient number of non-residents voted." The case was not appealed to the Texas Supreme Court and the election results stood.

[Lou Schneider]

13 hours ago, ToddF said:

All except 1 of the Escapee co-op parks have long waiting lists. This an example how the increasing numbers affect the scene.

Todd, long waiting lists for the co-op parks aren't new, all of the co-ops have had long waiting lists since the day they opened. It's part of the business plan.

When someone buys into a co-op, the agreement says when they decide to leave, their membership reverts to the co-op and is sold to another potential member. The funds received from the new member are used to reimburse the departing member for the money he has invested in the co-op.

Having a waiting list ensures there are purchasers waiting so departing members can promptly get their reimbursements.

Having a waiting list dry up, so there are co-op memberships waiting to be purchased, is a new development.

[Barbaraok]

21 hours ago, Twotoes said:

I would say that if you live in it full time it is no longer for recreation hence it is no longer an RV but a home so the question asked should be how many people live in a home that has wheels. 

I would disagree.  We, as retirees, are all about recreation - we're traveling to spend our retirement seeing new places, and doing so in comfort. 

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, DuffMan said:

I believe Escapees Livingston, TX has ~13,000.  I wonder if they have affected any local elections? 

The office told me that the number of active addresses exceeds 15k, a couple of years back. And at least to some degree, it has influenced electoral outcomes as Polk county was once considered to be a swing district for state elections and that even brought a series of lawsuits over that result back in 1999/2000. The result was taken to the courts and pursued through the TX Supreme Court and the right of an Escapee member to vote in Polk county was upheld. The Escapee management does encourage us to not vote on local issues such as school boards and such but most of us to vote for state representative and senator and probably most for county commissioner.  Remember that the majority of those addresses represent two votes.

[sandsys]

15 hours ago, mptjelgin said:

I've seen the same claims about huge retirement communities (think Sun City) coming into a rural area. Folks think that they won't support bond issues or school taxes. Generally the concerns prove to be unfounded. 

I think most retirees vote for school taxes because those are the people who will be in charge when we no longer can do it ourselves.

Linda Sand

[trailertraveler]

27 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

...brought a series of lawsuits over that result back in 1999/2000. The result was taken to the courts and pursued through the TX Supreme Court and the right of an Escapee member to vote in Polk county was upheld...

Can you provide links to the lawsuits other than Honorable B.E. "Slim" Speights v. Bob Willis that I linked to especially the Texas Supreme Court decision. I searched here and can not find one.