Anyone who has driven into Colorado from another state has been welcomed by the iconic “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign, yet the recent Colorado Health Foundation Pulse Poll calls into question whether those signs should instead say “Welcome to Costly Colorado” given the number of respondents to the poll who shared ongoing concerns about the persistently high costs of living in the state.

 

This is the fifth year that the Colorado Health Foundation has conducted its Pulse Poll, which includes a bipartisan team of researchers collecting responses from 2,347 Coloradans in late May and early June. This year’s results revealed that nearly nine out of 10 respondents (89%) rated the issue of housing affordability as an extreme or very serious problem. Collectively, concerns about housing affordability and the cost of living were higher this year than at any other time since the poll was launched in 2020. 

 

Respondents also shared that the persistent challenges tied to housing and daily living expenses are driving tough choices on issues like healthcare coverage and seeking care and weakening their ability to create financial stability now and for the future. 

 

Housing Concerns Persist

Since 2020, Coloradans’ concerns about the cost of housing as an extreme or very serious problem have risen from 67% to 89% of respondents, with a clear 60% majority now saying it is an extremely serious problem, up from 51% in 2023 and just 37% in 2020 during the start of the pandemic. And overall, 86% of respondents rated the rising cost of living as an extremely serious or very serious problem, up a percent from a year prior. Homelessness ranked third in the problems facing the state with 79% saying it is an extremely or very serious concern, while the cost of healthcare came in fourth at 68%.

 

Asked to rank a series of problems facing Colorado, all four of the top cited issues continue to relate to housing and the increasing costs of living. In the earliest years of the pandemic, the percentage of people concerned about these issues dramatically increased and those concerns have continued to increase and intensify. Even among those who say they are “living comfortably” financially, concerns about the cost of housing persist.

 

 

Calling Colorado home comes into question

Coloradans’ concerns about costs are causing many of them to doubt their ability to own homes, and their children’s ability to afford living in the state long term. Of those who said they are living comfortably financially, a surprising 83% said they are concerned about the cost of housing, with about half (49%) saying it’s a serious problem. Thirty-four percent of respondents are worried that they might lose their home, have to downgrade their home or move in the coming year because they can’t afford the monthly rent or mortgage. For those who report they are really struggling financially, that number spikes to 80%, and for renters, 54%.

 

 

Among the concerning results of the Pulse Poll over the past few years are respondents questioning whether Colorado can remain their home or home to future generations of their families.

 

  • 90% of renters aspire to own a home but a majority do not think it’s likely they will ever be able to purchase a home in Colorado.
  • 71% of people are worried they will not be able to afford to live in Colorado in the future and that number spikes to 90% for current renters, 87% for people ages 18-29, 85% for people living on low incomes, and African American respondents. 
  • 90% of Coloradans worry about whether their children will be able to afford to live in Colorado in the future.

 

When it comes to paying rent and mortgage costs, many Coloradans are making hard choices that may have negative impacts on their overall health and well-being. Respondents reported having to make hard choices and sacrifices about everyday needs, including forgoing healthcare, skipping meals and struggling to pay their other bills.

  • 34% said they are working multiple jobs or working more than they want to.
  • Among renters, 32% have avoided asking their landlord to address problems because they feared having their rent increase or being evicted
  • 30% of respondents have cut back or gone without other needs, like food or health care.
  • 27% have fallen behind on other bills or payments.

 

About 40% of Coloradans say they are “just getting by financially,” including more than one in ten describing themselves as “really struggling.” One third (33%) of respondents said they are worried they might not be able to afford enough food to feed themselves or their families, and 78% of those who are worried about affording enough food reported skipping meals due to financial strain. 

 

Of those skipping meals, the challenge is felt more acutely among those enrolled in Medicaid or without health insurance, people living on low incomes, renters, and people in Pueblo County. Within these groups, the percent of people who skipped meals increased by 10% or more from 2023.

 

Healthcare access, costs and Medicaid Changes

The ‘costly Colorado’ theme carried into respondents’ experiences with healthcare coverage and health services as well. 

 

A quarter of uninsured Coloradans report that they were previously covered by Medicaid, highlighting how post-pandemic changes in the Medicaid enrollment process and increasing insurance premiums are preventing people from obtaining health insurance. Nearly three in four uninsured Coloradans say that the cost of health insurance is keeping them from being covered. At the same time, 34% of all respondents said they are worried that they or someone in their household will be without health insurance in the next year. For those that are ‘really struggling’ financially, that worry doubles to 70% and is common among people living on low incomes (57%) and Latinos (47%). 

 

Among younger respondents, age 18-29, as well as those 50-64 who don’t yet qualify for Medicare, 41% are worried they will be without health insurance in the coming year. 

 

For those in need of medical or dental care, 43% of the respondents reported postponing that care in the past year, a 5% increase from 2023. A higher percentage of those without insurance or enrolled in Medicaid, people living on low incomes, and people 18-49 are postponing medical and dental care.

 

 

Finding Solutions - What Policymakers Can Do To Help

Asked about the most important thing that the Colorado State government can do to make life better for respondents and the people they care about, respondents want the State to act on the biggest challenges Coloradans face right now, including affordable housing and lower rents, tax relief and issues like TABOR, rising costs of living, including inflation, gas and food costs.

 

  • 15%, More affordable housing, lower rent, etc.
  • 13%, Address taxes, lower taxes, tax issues, fix TABOR, etc. 
  • 12%, Lower the cost of living, inflation, gas prices, food costs, etc.

 

“With housing affordability once again at or near the top of Coloradans’ concerns in our annual poll in 2024, we’re clearly hearing that people are not yet feeling relief from all the state and local policy changes that have sought to address this critical issue in our state,” said Kyle Rojas Legleiter, Senior Director of Policy at the Colorado Health Foundation. “The increase of concern over the years is stark, and so too are the impacts of housing costs on Coloradans’ health and well-being. The percentage of people who are extremely or seriously concerned about housing and cost of living was more than 20% less in 2020 than where we stand now." 

 

Looking a little further down the road, respondents were split across three potential options to addressing the rising housing costs over the long-term.

  • 29% chose “making it easier to build more homes by streamlining regulations, improving building permit approval times, and making zoning changes.”
  • 27% chose “increasing renter protections and limiting how quickly landlords can increase rents on current tenants.”
  • 25% chose “providing financial incentives to property owners and builders to encourage creating more affordable housing units.”

 

Turning to respondents’ personal financial situation and the actions they believe could most provide assistance and relief, an overwhelming majority, 73%, said that “increasing the availability of higher-paying jobs in their community” would be helpful (including 46% who said it would be very helpful).

 

  • 57% said “increasing access to affordable professional education and job training” would be helpful. 
  • 53% said “providing support to help people manage debt and improve their credit” would be helpful.
  • 43% said “increasing the availability and affordability of childcare” would be helpful.
  • 41% said “reducing discrimination and bias in hiring” would be helpful.

 

You can learn more about these findings, and others, by joining our next two Colorado Health Foundation Pulse Poll briefings.

 

 REGISTER NOW
  

  • Beyond the Numbers: Understanding Coloradans’ Top Concerns and How They Connect to Our Sense of Belonging

(Presented in English with live interpretation in Spanish)

Regionally-specific data will also be available and provided upon request

Data available online at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13
Briefing at 10 a.m. MT on Wednesday, August 14 | Register

 

Coloradans’ concerns extend beyond housing and the economy—the 2024 Colorado Health Foundation Pulse Poll reveals that our other top concerns include health care and mental health support, drug use, homelessness, and crime, among other topics. In this briefing, we’ll dive deep into critical themes that arose in Pulse: The Colorado Health Foundation poll, including how these issues impact people’s sense of belonging within our communities. The analysis will delve into similarities and differences across specific demographics including race or ethnicity, income level, geography, age, partisan affiliation and more. 

 

  • Deep Dive on Responses from Hispanic and Latino People in Colorado 

(Presented in Spanish and English. Simultaneous interpretation will be available)

Data available online at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3
Briefing at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 9 | Register

 

In a state where Hispanic and Latino people comprise 22% of the population, it is crucial to understand their experiences and concerns. This session will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by providing valuable insights into the recent Colorado Health Foundation Pulse Poll data on the perspectives of Hispanic and Latino Coloradans, including the unique challenges, issues and aspirations of this significant and diverse demographic group. Simultaneous interpretation will be available, fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are heard and valued.