Despite initial projections of meager growth, #Colorado lost 11,700 jobs in 2025—the first decline since 2010, outside of pandemic losses—according to revised state data released last week.

Since 2000, Colorado had only reported job losses during recessionary periods: the early-2000s dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis, and at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Though Colorado’s job growth of minus 0.4% fell below the U.S. average of about 0.1%, 27 other states lost jobs in 2025, and nine lost more than Colorado.

Nationally, the slowdown has been linked to factors like federal government downsizing, tech industry contraction, and high tariffs. A Broomfield economist suggests unsustainable state spending may have contributed to Colorado’s downturn.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/09/colorado-lost-jobs-and-saw-its-labor-force-decline-last-year/