Gene Warren has a surefire plan for pumping up small-town economies – persuade affluent older adults to retire there.

Once seen as community burdens, seniors are now regarded as economic drivers.

Mr. Warren's consulting firm has done economic impact studies turning conventional wisdom on its head by showing that older adults generally put far more into communities' coffers than they take out.

"Resourceful retirees have higher incomes and spend more than younger residents," said Mr. Warren, president of Thomas, Warren and Associates of Phoenix. "One affluent couple has the same impact as three factory jobs."

The message is resonating with economic development officials. About a dozen states have launched aggressive marketing campaigns to attract "comfortable" older adults who want to relocate when they retire.