How many fulltimers?

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JoeSpa

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Does anyone have an idea how many fulltimers live in the US? I mean real fulltimers, no part time snowbirds.
 
I have seen estimates of 250,000 to over a million. I lean towards 250,000. That was based on census data for people without addresses or something like that.

EDIT

I found this in my files:

In the 2000 census there was a category called  "other non-standard housing"  defined as boats, recreation vehicles and other such residences which have no permanent physical address. Based upon the 2000 census that number was estimated to be 260,000 people. 
 
Like Clay, we full time, and all I know is in our travels we meet so many other fultimers we can't believe how many of us there are.
 
MSN Money says 1.3 million as of last fall. http://money.msn.com/car-buying/can-you-live-in-an-rv-full-time

Not sure they would know any better than anyone else, though.
 
Define non-standard housing.

Is a recreational vehicle that is permanently parked somewhere still a recreational vehicle? And by that definition, are you a full time RV'er if you live in an RV that does not travel during the year?

Inquiring Mind
 
I recall a study done by FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) several years ago, and their estimate was that 18% of the people who own RVs were full-timers. 

Marsha~
 
I guess it depends on which definition of 'full-timing' you're using. Some definitions exclude those who own property, like a lot somewhere. Others exclude those who live in an RV but never move.

Wendy
 
Pierat said:
MSN Money says 1.3 million as of last fall. http://money.msn.com/car-buying/can-you-live-in-an-rv-full-time

Not sure they would know any better than anyone else, though.

Thanks! That was very helpful!
 
Marsha/CA said:
I recall a study done by FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) several years ago, and their estimate was that 18% of the people who own RVs were full-timers. 

Marsha~

...and how many people do own RVs?
 
Clay L said:
I have seen estimates of 250,000 to over a million. I lean towards 250,000. That was based on census data for people without addresses or something like that. ... In the 2000 census there was a category called  "other non-standard housing"  defined as boats, recreation vehicles and other such residences which have no permanent physical address. Based upon the 2000 census that number was estimated to be 260,000 people.
So how does it work for people like us, who are full-timers with no stick-and-brick address but use a mail forwarding service for your permanent address that you give out to folks?


It would also be nice to have a breakdown of types of full-timers, i.e., retirees, fully employed remotes, work campers, etc.
++Larry
 
I imagine that if someone wanted to meet and share with fulltimers specifically, one could start a web group dedicated to just fulltimers.  It may not yield the most accurate of numbers, but at least it would be a start to the number of fulltimers that are interested in sharing with other fulltimers, etc.  At the very least, if someone created a survey (with a free program like survey monkey) for fulltimers, I'd take it.  Is there any designation of members to the RVforum that specifies "fulltimer" status in the membership list?
 
I don't see how you could ever come up with a number anywhere near accurate for fulltimers. I just know there are a ton of them.

Many folks who are not fulltimers say they are, so that compounds the issue. Then there are people living in an RV fulltime who never go anywhere in it. I stayed in a residential type park where nearly all the RV-ers had never left the park, once they arrived.  Some had been there for decades. Some had even traded up and down in RV's and still not left the park. Of course many of the RV's were no longer road worthy unless you spent big bucks to get them going again.

When I told the RV "neighbors" and management I was departing, they acted insulted and asked me what was wrong!

Defining fulltiming and traveling is complicated too. For instance I settle down for 5 months of workamping so I can travel the other 7 months. During that 7 months I typically travel 2-3 months, then stay in one park 2-3 months then travel another 2 months or so. So does this make me only a semi-traveler who fulltimes?

It's complicated...
 
I would say the number is closer to the one million mark. We see so many people these days that work and live in
their RV and go from job to job. Many that I have talked to are only in a location for a few weeks or a few months,
others for a year or more. Just depends on the type of work they do and the size of the job they are working on.
The park we are in here in Pearland Texas has a high number of folks that are here for the medical center. Some are
just that and others are full timers and are here for the Med. Center.

Dave
 
As many have mentioned it all depends on what the people that are figuring the numbers considers "full time."  Even so there is just no way to really figure out how many of us are really out there.

I think that is one of the great things about full timing is not being as traceable.  I kind of like it that no one but our closest friends or family knows where we are at any given time.  And if we are really on the go, not even our families can keep accurate tabs on us!
 
I kind of like it that no one but our closest friends or family knows where we are at any given time.

Only if you keep your cell phones turned off with the battery pulled and use only cash, and don't get it from an ATM or cash a check.  All of us are more traceable than ever before.
 
I thought I was lost one time. I had no clue where the heck I was. I made one call to Homeland Security and they pinpointed right where I was, who I was with and where I'd been.......... The nice lady on the phone even reminded me it had been over six months since I'd been to the dentist and that I hadn't called my mother lately.

Ken
 
DownbytheRiver said:
I imagine that if someone wanted to meet and share with fulltimers specifically, one could start a web group dedicated to just fulltimers.

That's exactly how the Escapees Club started back in 1978.  The term "fulltiming" hadn't been invented yet, but that's what Joe and Kay Peterson were doing, living in their RV while they explored the country.  To support themselves, Joe worked as a union electrician in various locations while Kay wrote column a monthly column for Woodall's Trailer Travel magazine.  One month she asked if there was anyone else doing the same thing, if so she'd start a list so they could correspond with one another.

Today Escapees is a full service RV organization with membership open to everyone, not just fulltimers.  And there are fulltimers who aren't Escapees.  But that's where you're likely to find the largest concentration of them.
 
I don't think you could come even close to how many fullvtimers there are because:

a. There is no definition. We range from "spends majority (over 50%) of his time in an RV" to "spends all of his time in an RV and has no permanent base".

b. A majority of fulltimers have a fixed address for mail, licenses, etc.

c. No accepted definition of an RV. Does a sailboat count? How about homeless travelers/campers? And it goes on.

Frankly, I think this may be a good thing. We don't really need governments like California realizing how large a group of people are easily avoiding their taxes or rules.

Or "your last fixed residence was here  so we consider you to be resident here until you have a different one - mail drops don't count".

Imagine "you're living here for three months so 1/4 of any income you receive (SS for example) is taxable here". It could be done if there were enough fulltimers to make it worthwhile.

Just some thoughts,

Ernie
 

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