DECLINE IS A CHOICE: Colorado regulatory burden, affordability drives business exodus.

Furman says 98 large businesses have left Colorado since 2019, taking nearly 14,000 jobs with them. These aren’t failed companies or departures caused by mergers and acquisitions, she explains, but companies relocating operations to other states, with Texas, Florida, Utah and Tennessee among the biggest beneficiaries of the Colorado exodus.

Furman points to burdensome employment mandates, energy and environmental rules, paid family leave and permitting hurdles as examples of regulations that individually may seem manageable, but collectively impose substantial compliance costs, especially for businesses without dedicated legal or human-resources departments.

The consequences are showing up in state rankings, with Colorado falling from 11th to 25th in overall business competitiveness. Furman notes Colorado still does well in areas such as technology, workforce and quality of life, but argues those strengths are increasingly giving way to affordability and regulatory problems.

Surely, the next round of taxes and regulations out of Denver will make it all better.