Publication Library

Browse by tag

referendum c state budget tabor fmap recovery act 2010 colorado legislature health reform medical loss ratio taxes jobs and economic security transparency and accountability revenue annual report colorado center on law and policy snap food stamps health coverage health affordability earned income tax credit children health law and policy update child tax credit exempla hospitals colorado benefits management system public benefits weston v hammons election 2010 poverty health insurance work supports self-sufficiency standard jobs and economy unemployment insurance health access mental health high-risk pool health co-ops pre-existing conditions medicaid aiming for the middle gallagher amendment amendment 23 public option 2009 colorado legislature grandfathered health plans cobra health insurance exchange income 2007 colorado legislature arveschoug-bird tobacco securitization federal budget rainy day fund refund anticipation loans 2008 colorado legislature welfare reform colorado works deficit reduction act citizenship referendum d 2010 colorado legislatutre old age pension tax credits tax exemptions tax deductions provider rates state of working colorado government election 2008 education income tax single sales factor state children's health insurance program social security early retiree reinsurance program hospital provider fee insurance access sustainable growth rate formula recission prescription drugs medicare false claims act colorado all-payer health claims database insurance affordability 2011 colorado legislature election 2011 immigration child health plan plus health law and policy refugees family economic security economic self-sufficiency hospital conversion sidebar newsletter elder economic security long-term care accountable care collaborative 2012 colorado legislature

Sign Up

Receive email updates

Thanks To Our
Generous Donors Like:

Open Society Institute

State of Working Colorado 2009

As Colorado heads into 2010 it seems that the worst of the recession is behind us. Very recently job losses have slowed and unemployment has eased. However, the effects of the most severe economic downturn in more than half a century are still permeating deeply through the state economy. Wages are stagnant, employment is down markedly, poverty is up, and private insurance coverage is shrinking with government options taking up the slack. Looking backward, it has been a troubling decade for workers in Colorado which began and ended in recession, and saw few real gains in between. Indeed the recent past raises real questions for workers and policymakers alike about the kind of jobs, security, and lifestyle the future Colorado will promote, and about the kind of investments needed to attain this future.

The State of Working Colorado examines how well Colorado workers fared in the past decade and looks closely at trends from the current recession just now appearing in the social economic data. It compares trends in wages, employment and unemployment, poverty and health insurance from the recession that began the decade in 2001 to the current downturn that was just picking up speed in 2008.

The results reveal a contradiction unique to Colorado and familiar to many policymakers, community leaders, and workers in the state. Across the board Colorado excels in pure economic metrics, leading the region in wages, unemployment, and workforce education. Yet life in the Colorado workforce adheres to a different reality. Wages are stagnant, private insurance is declining, poverty rates and food stamp recipiency are rising, and economic inequality between genders, races, and education levels abounds. Addressing this contradiction may be the greatest challenge for Colorado policymakers in the decade to come.

Contact: Alec Harris
Policy analyst
303-573-5669, ext. 316

Released February 2010

View PDF Document