Locational Concentrations of Military Retirees in the United States∗

∗The authors would like to thank Sent Visser, Darrell Napton, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. We also thank Anu Day for her editorial assistance.

This county-level study examines the locational concentrations of the 1.6 million military retirees in the United States. Maps and multiple regression analysis suggest a strong association between concentrations of military retirees in a county and amenity- and military-related factors. In particular, proximity to a military base, mild winters, and coastal locations attract the military retiree. When counties are grouped by the age of the retirees, the proximity to bases becomes more closely associated with the younger military retirees, while climate and amenity factors are more important for the older retirees. These findings could prove useful in projecting locational preferences of the older more mobile population of the United States.

Key Words:

• migration
• military retirees
• location concentrations

Notes

∗The authors would like to thank Sent Visser, Darrell Napton, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. We also thank Anu Day for her editorial assistance.