The Daily Agenda: Move-in week generates big bucks for Tucson
Thousands of Wildcats are headed to the University of Arizona this week ... Last year's move-in brought Tucson's economy a $10 million boost ... DNC delegates living large in Chicago.
If you live in midtown and didn’t make it to Trader Joe’s or Target over the weekend, you probably want to wait about a week.
That’s because it’s the first day of move-in at the University of Arizona, meaning thousands of new and returning Wildcats are headed into town and stocking up on essentials.
But before you complain about the traffic around campus and the wait time at those previously empty restaurants, take a moment to think about the nearly $10 million that students and their families added to the local economy during last year’s move-in.
A new survey from UA Housing and Residential Life found that visiting families spent $4.1 million on hotel and lodging, $2.4 million on food and another $2.4 million on dorm supplies during move-in week last year.
They also spent $700,000 on activities and $65,000 to park on campus, for a total of $9.6 million.
And with more than 7,500 students moving into their new on-campus homes this week and all 23 dorms at capacity, this year’s totals could easily top $10 million.
For the past 12 years, Housing and Residential Life has sent out a post-move-in survey to parents, asking them to share their experiences, but last year’s survey was the first where they asked questions to gauge the economic impact of move-in to Tucson’s economy, said Director of Organizational Assessment and Strategic Initiatives Linda Scheu.
Staffers came up with the idea last year while readying for the end of summer and laughing about how busy the campus-area shops and restaurants are during move-in week, according to Scheu.
“It got us thinking about how the UA is an intricate part of the Tucson community,” she said. “We wanted to better understand the economic impact, especially during move-in week.”
Scheu said it was an easy addition to the survey they’d been sending for more than a decade, but they learned a great deal from the added analysis.
“It was a tremendous amount of data,” she said.
Last year’s survey was sent to just over 7,000 families, with nearly 1,200 taking the time to complete it. The survey included five new questions about the distance traveled for move-in, the number of nights spent in town and the amount of money spent on lodging, food, dorm goods and other activities.
The study only considered purchases made by people who traveled more than 30 miles to get to the UA.
On average, families reported spending $355 on meals during their stay, $359 on dorm goods and decorations, $569 on lodging, $99 on other activities and at least $12 on parking and transportation.
That adds up to an overall average of $1,394 per non-local student. But the amount spent by families varied greatly when it came to the distance they traveled.
Families that drove less than 100 miles to get to the UA only spent about $600 during their time in town, which only included an overnight stay.
But the 30% of survey respondents who traveled more than 1,000 miles to get to the UA spent more than $2,000 during their stay, which was closer to four nights in town.
“We anticipated that those families that are traveling greater distances are going to have greater expenditures,” Scheu said. “They stay longer in hotels and are more likely to buy things here rather than ship or bring the items with them.”
The survey didn’t include transportation-related expenses like car rental, rideshare, U-Hauls and gas, but these will be included in future studies.
While Scheu and her colleagues in housing and residential life are excited to share the news of the financial boost that move-in brings to the local economy, the survey is also a way for the department to learn how they can help make the experience better for students and their families.
“Move-in is a very hot and emotional time for everyone and a very tremendous logistical endeavor,” she said. “We strive to hear from and improve our move-in process every year, and that’s why we listen to and read every comment and every response that we receive.”
And while some Tucsonans might be mourning the end of the sleepy summer season, Scheu encourages them to think of all the money that comes back to town with students.
“We know that move-in can be a very busy time in Tucson, but that busy-ness is really having a big economic impact on our community,” she said. “Hopefully that will lessen any irritation.”
This story was supported by the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
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65%: The percentage of UA families who drove their student to Tucson for move-in last year, according to the housing and residential life survey.