Research

Common Sense Institute (CSI) strives to develop insightful and educational research on the most critical debates facing Colorado. CSI employs rigorous research techniques and dynamic modeling to evaluate the potential impact of issues on the Colorado economy and individual opportunity. CSI provides elected officials, policy makers and Coloradans with facts and data-driven analysis to help make informed decisions about the biggest issues facing the state. CSI research has also sparked innovative policy solutions and bipartisan, solutions-based discussion about the future of Colorado.

Education

Energy & Our Environment

Healthcare

Housing & Our Community

Infrastructure

Jobs & Our Economy

State Budget

Taxes & Fees

The Decline of Condominium Construction in Colorado: Addressing Litigation Reform to Alleviate the Housing Affordability Crisis

2023 Research, 2024 Research, Featured Research, Housing & Our Community, Recent Research, Research

Condo development has grinded to a near halt in Colorado.

Inflation in Colorado – November 2023

2023 Research, Featured Research, Inflation Reports, Recent Research, Research

Between September and November, prices in Denver fell by .34%. This was the first two-month period of deflation since September of last year.

Colorado’s Free Enterprise Report – 2024 Edition

2023 Research, Featured Research, Research

The Free Enterprise Report is a marquis report that provides an objective, non-partisan, fact-based analysis of the Colorado economic landscape and the state’s most pressing issues.

Colorado Budget: Then and Now

2023 Research, Featured Research, Research, State Budget

Colorado Budget Then and Now illuminates the changes in Colorado state budget appropriations over the last twenty years. The figures included in the report provide a summary overview of revenue allocated to state departments through the budgeting process. The trends in appropriations reflect the shifting priorities brought on as a direct result of the laws and budgets passed each legislative session.

EXPLORE CSI RESEARCH

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Older posts

By the Numbers: 3 Big Takeaways from PERA’s Latest Annual Report

July 9, 2024 • 3 min read

PERA’s latest annual report shows that stabilizing its finances has come at a massive cost. Total annual contributions have increased 43% while active membership has grown less than 1%.

Tags: pera

Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update – May 2024 Update

June 25, 2024 • 3 min read

Colorado’s total employment increased by 9,800 in May. Unlike in some previous months, the private sector contributed primarily to this growth (7,900 jobs).

Tags: Jobs Report

Housing Mismatch: Mortgage Capacity vs Home Prices

June 20, 2024 • 7 min read

In 2010, Colorado was ranked 20th in the nation for the size of the mismatch between household mortgage capacity and the value of owner-occupied housing. Colorado’s ranking rose to 11th highest, tied with California.

Tags: Colorado Housing, housing

Colorado’s Fentanyl Problem and the Economic Costs

June 18, 2024 • 10 min read

The total cost of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Colorado is estimated to be $16 billion in 2023. This is over ten times the cost of fentanyl overdose from 2017, $1.3 billion. That $16 billion is 3% of the state’s GDP in 2023.

Tags: Drug, Drug Deaths, Fentanyl, fentanyl overdose deaths, Overdose

By the Numbers: Growth in Property Tax Revenue

June 17, 2024 • 4 min read

Property tax revenue increased by $2.4 billion dollars in 2024. The annual increase of 19% was the largest since 1975. Since 2019, property tax revenue has increased by $5.4 billion (55%) and has more than doubled in the last nine years, growing over $8 billion, from $7.18 billion in 2015 to nearly $15.3 billion collected in 2024.

Inflation in Colorado – May 2024 Update

June 12, 2024 • 3 min read

Between April and May of 2024, prices in Denver increased by 0.59% while national inflation grew by 0.56%.

Tags: denver, inflation, Metro Denver, prices

The Ongoing Costs of Denver Migrants

May 30, 2024 • 5 min read

The total cost to Denver metro schools related to new migrant students is $98 million to $222 million, which would equate to 1-2% of the total state K-12 education budget for the 2024-25 academic year.

Tags: Cost of Denver Migrants, Cost of Migrants, denver, Denver Migrants, migrants

Colorado Public Safety Competitiveness Index

May 23, 2024 • 9 min read

Colorado’s Public Safety Competitiveness Index has decreased 2.2% from 2011 to 2023. Coincidentally, Colorado’s relative ranking decreased seven spots from 24th to 31st among states and Washington, D.C.

Tags: competitiveness, Competitiveness Index, public safety

Higher Education Launch Pad: The Postsecondary Results of the DSST Public School Model

• 15 min read

DSST Montview High School’s postsecondary credential attainment was three times the Denver Public Schools average.

Tags: DPS, DSST, education

Colorado Springs Housing Affordability Report 2024

May 22, 2024 • 17 min read

The housing deficit in 2023 is in the range of 16,554 to 27,360 units. To meet population growth by 2028 and close the housing deficit, between 32,000 and 43,000 housing units will need to be built.

Tags: colorado springs, Colorado Springs Housing, housing, Housing Index

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