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Tag: Cost of Living

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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The Mile High price tag: Denver now among worst in U.S. for inflation
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Approved, Local, Westword

The Mile High price tag: Denver now among worst in U.S. for inflation

By Catie Cheshire | Westword One study found prices in Denver have spiked significantly in the last two months, outpacing Los Angeles, New York and even Honolulu. Denver has a highly ranked park system and was recently named one of the coolest cities in the country, but living around the Mile High City isn't cheap. According to a new study by WalletHub, the Denver metro has the fifth-worst inflation problem in the United States, with costs rising on a monthly and yearly basis. WalletHub analyzed inflation impacts in 23 major metropolitan areas for the study, lumping together Denver, Aurora and Lakewood. In metro Denver, the change in Consumer Price Index compared to two months ago is 1 percent and the change over the last year is 2.2 percent, WalletHub research s...
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Colorado ranks 5th in nation for work hours—high cost of living a key factor
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado ranks 5th in nation for work hours—high cost of living a key factor

By Brooke Williams | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Coloradans spend more time on the clock than people in most states in the U.S., according to a new report. Qualtrics XM, a data tool for businesses, released a report in March analyzing what percentage of the past year people spent working. The study used data from the American Time Use Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for all 50 states. A handful of states had fewer than 10 survey responses and were excluded from the main story, but were included in a separate list. Where do people spend the most time working? According to the report, people in these states spent the highest percentage of their past year working: Utah: 25.17% Mississippi: 23.89% North Carolina: 23.51% Alabama: 23.44% Co...
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Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners
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Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette Colorado’s governor and Legislature may claim they want more affordable housing — but they aren’t about to let it stand in the way of their headlong rush toward green energy. Their zero-emissions-at-any-cost dogma seems to trump all other policy priorities. Which helps explain why the state’s Energy Code Board is poised to impose extreme energy standards — even more stringent than those already in effect — on new home construction. The pending rules would turn the screws on wide-ranging aspects of the building code — and are projected to add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home in Colorado. That’s right — it’ll add $25,000 to $35,000, by one estimate, in what is already the most expensive state for housing that is not ...
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Denver’s not just going to the dogs—it’s leaving children behind
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Approved, Local, Westword

Denver’s not just going to the dogs—it’s leaving children behind

By Thomas Mitchell | Westword About 50 percent of this city's residents have a dog. Only 20 percent have children under eighteen. Denver is no longer a cowtown. It's a dog city. Long known as a hub for livestock, Denver has corraled several more amenities over the years. Outdoor sports, craft beer, legal weed, live music and a wave of tech jobs have attracted travelers and transplants alike. But those who stay in this city must acknowledge its four-legged rulers, whether you own one or not. Around 50 percent of Denver's residents have a dog, with 68 percent reporting that they own at least one pet, according to a 2024 survey by the Colorado Polling Institute. In the same poll, just 20 percent of Denver residents said they had children under eighteen. Population n...
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