Colorado’s corporate exodus: Nearly 12,000 jobs gone — and the tracker Polis hopes you’ll ignore

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project

 

I found something interesting in Jon Caldara’s recent op ed that I thought worth sharing.

A quote (with link left intact–though I link to the opportunity tracker separately at bottom so you can share that link if you’ve a mind to) shows what I mean:

“So, what’s the pattern here? It’s not just ‘companies move sometimes.’ We’re building a list. A tracker. A scoreboard. The Colorado Chamber literally maintains a ‘Lost Opportunities’ compilation of companies leaving, downsizing, or choosing to expand somewhere else. Nearly 12,000 jobs have moved away. When you need a tracker for corporate departures, you’re no longer ‘a state with some challenges.’ You’re a gate agent announcing final boarding for Flight 970 to Anywhere Else.”

Yep. When people start taking the time to compile lists, that’s a signal that it’s time to take stock. The op ed’s worth reading in full, but I want to focus more on the tracker here.

First, some perspective. This is a report produced by a group with an agenda. It might be an agenda I support, it might be one I agree with, but do not lose sight of that.

It’s also important to note that while some companies are leaving, some are coming in. It’s tempting to generalize from the ones that make a big splash and from what’s right at hand, but you need to be careful.

I do not have a sense of the net flow of jobs and companies in Colorado, but I have some inklings. These are inklings based on where Colorado ranks on regulatory burden, the slowing population inflow, etc. My guess is we’re probably somewhere near the middle. That’s just a guess, however.

As such, I’m loathe to give you the idea that this tracker is all you should pay attention to. Still, it should be a part of what you’re looking at. The reality is that whether Colorado has a net inflow or outflow of companies, the size of the leakage ought to be something we’re discussing and working on.

If you have a mattress-sized hole in your hull, but the bilge pumps are staying ahead of it, good for you. What about fixing the hole though? What will you do if the pumps no longer keep ahead of the leak?

Reading Polis’ press releases you’d think Colorado’s a growing concern. Media coverage, at least the coverage I can call to mind, is split depending on what you read. Same can be said for economist reports.

I don’t think the Lost Opportunity reports should be the only thing you read about our state’s economy, but it should be on your plate next to news coverage and Polis’ blathering.

Take a minute to paw through it. Look at the (likely curated list of) quotes from business leaders in there. Get a look at the loss of opportunity this state is suffering.

It is pretty big if you ask me. Maybe we don’t miss them now, but I can’t help but wonder if we will in a few years.

 

https://completecolorado.com/2026/03/04/colorado-companies-fleeing/

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jOw12w_75TYPc0A4lOU5OL2Aew5a2yVZ/view?usp=sharing

 

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

 

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