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Tag: Cost of Living

Denver’s Cost of Comfort: $130k Needed Just to Get By
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Denver’s Cost of Comfort: $130k Needed Just to Get By

By Brooke Williams | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Two Colorado cities are among the most expensive big cities in the U.S. to live comfortably in, a recent study found. Finance website GOBankingRates analyzed the country’s 50 largest cities to determine how much it would cost to live in each comfortably based on data points like home values, incomes and cost of living.4 Colorado towns listed among best small cities in US: Report The study calculated the income for necessities and applied the 50/30/20 budget rule, doubling the cost of necessities for a lifestyle that can include saving and discretionary spending. The Mile High City ranked as the No. 12 most expensive large city to live comfortably in. Meanwhile down south, Colorado Springs ranked at No. 20 12. Denver To...
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GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Medicaid Cuts and Budget Deficit
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Medicaid Cuts and Budget Deficit

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Nine Republican candidates for next year’s gubernatorial election participated in a debate Thursday night hosted by the Denver Press Club, where they faced questions on issues like the budget, cost of living, and Medicaid from moderators Marianne Goodland and Ernest Luning of Colorado Politics. Those candidates were: Sen. Mark Baisley of Roxborough Park, an engineer who was elected to the State Legislature in 2018 Bob Brinkerhoff, a retired State Trooper Jason Clark, an Army veteran from Centennial on his third run for governor Jon Gray-Ginsberg, an IT professional and cybersecurity specialist from Frisco Joshua Griffin, a former Colorado State University football player and Army veteran Kelvin “K-Man” Wimberly, an Oklahoma ...
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GOP Lawmaker Barb Kirkmeyer Enters Colorado Governor’s Race
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State, Approved, kdvr.com

GOP Lawmaker Barb Kirkmeyer Enters Colorado Governor’s Race

By Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR FOX 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado state Sen. Barbara “Barb” Kirkmeyer is officially launching her gubernatorial bid, hoping to get a seat that Republicans have not secured in almost 20 years. The 2026 race for Colorado’s governor is starting to take shape. Republican Barb Kirkmeyer is joining the list of serious contenders, like Democrats Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. “It’s time that we have a governor who knows how to govern and lead this state and understand that our best days are ahead of us. I think I am that person. All you have to do is go back and look at my accomplishments and my record as a county commissioner, as a state senator. I’ve been able to reduce property taxes. I led my county to zero debt. And as a stat...
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Colorado’s Shift Left Sparks Growing Resentment in Neighboring States
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State, Approved, Commentary, Fleeting West

Colorado’s Shift Left Sparks Growing Resentment in Neighboring States

By Wes Flynn | Commentary, Fleeting West (Substack) Coloradans were once known for being friendly, modest, and considerate. That reputation has fundamentally shifted thanks to the last three million people who arrived and steamrolled the place. I remember a time when meeting people and telling them that I'm from Colorado was met with intrigue and positive reception. Prior to the last 20 years or so, Coloradans were recognized as being friendly, modest, and maybe a little idiosyncratic due to our orientation to the outdoors and not paying much mind to the domestic space. Our roads were friendly and safe, our cities were quiet and friendly, and like most westerners, we really just wanted to go our own way and do our own thing and stay off the radar. But that reputation has fundament...
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Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing

By Libby Smith | CBS Colorado Colorado Health Foundation launched the Pulse Poll in 2020 as a way to hear from adults all across Colorado on the issues that are impacting them the most. The latest poll was taken between April 19 and May 18, 2025. A bipartisan team of researchers talked with 2,333 Coloradans from across the entire state. One of the key findings in this year's poll is that concern over government jumped to the top of the list. Respondents feel like government is not going to address or ease their other problems. which includes rising prices. "This year cost definitely dominates the conversation. The top four issues that Coloradans identified as most serious are all related to cost. 90-percent nearly of Coloradans said that the cost of living is an extremely serious ...
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Proposed insurance fee hikes spark fears of worsening affordability crisis
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The Sum & Substance, Approved, State

Proposed insurance fee hikes spark fears of worsening affordability crisis

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance In an effort to try and stop a massive exodus of individuals from the private insurance market, Colorado legislators are looking again at raising fees on all health-insurance policies in order to subsidize the premiums of state residents who face the highest costs. Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, said Friday that he is considering bringing a bill during the upcoming special session that would allow the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise to raise fees on all plans sold in the state by as much as 0.75%. The bill also would seek to impose a new $3 per-member-per-month fee on all stop-loss insurance policies that are purchased by self-insured employers to guard against catastrophic claims. The two fees could together raise about $100 mil...
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Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Teachers Priced Out of Their Communities

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado A new survey of more than 3,200 educators in Colorado says the housing crisis is pushing teachers out of their communities, and in some cases, out of the profession. The Keystone Policy Center's report, We Can't Live Where We Teach: Teacher Perspectives, finds that more than half of educators are spending well above the recommended share of their income on housing, with some paying more than 40%. Nearly 6 in 10 say they would be interested in district-provided affordable housing, and 70% would be comfortable with their school district as their landlord. "Colorado's ability to deliver quality education depends on having committed, effective teachers in every classroom," said Van Schoales, senior policy director at the Keystone Policy Center. "This repor...
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Inflation relief hands Trump a talking point on tariffs and the economy
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The Western Journal, Approved, National

Inflation relief hands Trump a talking point on tariffs and the economy

By Randy DeSoto | The Western Journal President Donald Trump took a shot at Goldman Sachs’ CEO and its economists Tuesday while touting July’s inflation number, which came in cooler than expected. Goldman Sachs was among the many investment firms that predicted in April that Trump’s tariff policy would be inflationary, tank the stock market, and likely cause a recession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index rose 2.7 percent in July compared to the same month last year and rose 0.2 percent from June. That compares to a 2.8 percent increase predicted by Wall Street, according to CNBC. Trump responded to the report, posting on Truth Social, “Trillions of Dollars are being taken in on Tariffs, which has been incredib...
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Colorado insurance division warns of 28% hike—Democrats blame Congress, not policy
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado insurance division warns of 28% hike—Democrats blame Congress, not policy

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Health insurance for the individual market in Colorado could increase by 28% for 2026, according to the Colorado Division of Insurance. And the rate for the Western Slope could be even higher, averaging as much as 38%, the division said on Wednesday. Rate filings will become public on Friday. The division attributed the above-average increases to President Donald Trump’s federal tax bill, recently passed by Congress. "These circumstances are not unique to Colorado, and other states will likely have similar increases," the division said in a statement Wednesday. The driver for those increases is the loss of financial assistance that helps people afford health insurance, and which also puts downward pressure on premium rates. That assis...
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Colorado Child Care Crisis: Nearly Half of a Single Parent’s Pay Goes to Care
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State, Approved, kdvr.com

Colorado Child Care Crisis: Nearly Half of a Single Parent’s Pay Goes to Care

By Brooke Williams | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Amid a rising cost of living, caring for a child is expensive anywhere in the U.S., but especially in Colorado, according to a new report. Personal finance website WalletHub conducted a study on all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Researchers analyzed the prices of family-based and center-based child care and made adjustments based on median income to rank the states with the highest and lowest costs of child care for both couples and single parents. The study found that in some parts of the country, couples could spend up to 13% of their income on child care, and a single parent could spend 51%. The report notes that both parents are employed in more than two-thirds of families with children, according to the Bureau of Labor Statisti...
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