State scorecard
Colorado in the US Political Rank
Every place Colorado holds across our state rankings, in one scorecard. Economy, taxes, education, crime, healthcare, and more, each measured the same way for all 50 states and each linked to the full cited ranking.
#5
of 50 on States Ranked by K-12 Education Outcomes
#44
of 25 on States Ranked by Housing Affordability
41.6%
Governor Jared Polis performance score, rank 38 of 50
10
state rankings that score Colorado
Governor
Colorado's governor, Jared Polis (Democrat), holds performance rank 38 of 50 at 41.6% this week in the Governor Performance Rankings, scored on 263 metrics and updated every Monday.
| Ranking | Colorado's place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| States Ranked by K-12 Education OutcomesSecond through fifth nationally in eighth grade reading in 2024, and one of five states in the top ten on both raw and demographically adjusted eighth grade reading rankings (Urban Institute, 2025). | #5 of 50 | 94.8 |
| The Top 20 Energy-Producing StatesA top-five crude oil state with major natural gas and growing wind output; its 2021 SEDS total was 3,630 trillion Btu (EIA SEDS). | #9 of 20 | 14.2 |
| States Ranked by Health Care OutcomesAmong the nation's lowest rates of premature death and obesity, with life expectancy above the national average (CDC NCHS; Commonwealth Fund). | #11 of 50 | 88.4 |
| States Ranked by Business Climate: What the Major Raters Agree OnJust outside CNBC's 2025 top ten at No. 11 (CNBC, 2025), with a flat income tax the Tax Foundation credits structurally. Census data shows it newly losing domestic migrants, a warning light (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #13 of 25 | 84.0 |
| Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026Eleventh on CNBC's 2025 rankings (CNBC, 2025), but the Vintage 2025 estimates show it newly losing domestic migrants for the first time in years, a warning light in an otherwise strong economy (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #23 of 50 | 74.4 |
| States Ranked by Total Tax BurdenA flat individual income tax and a moderate overall burden (Tax Foundation, 2026), though rising housing costs, not taxes, appear to be driving its recent net domestic out-migration (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #25 of 50 | 72.0 |
| States Ranked by Dependence on Federal MoneyHigh incomes generate large federal tax payments that offset substantial federal facility spending, keeping the per-capita balance near break-even (Rockefeller Institute, 2025). | #39 of 50 | 53.6 |
| Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population GrowthThe most notable new name on the loser list. Colorado was a reliable net recipient of domestic movers for years and is now a net loser (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). Housing costs are the leading suspect. | #40 of 50 | 39.9 |
| States Ranked by Violent Crime Rate476.3 per 100,000 with a murder rate of 4.5, a violent crime rate roughly one-third above the national average (FBI, 2024). | #43 of 50 | 476.3 |
| States Ranked by Housing AffordabilityPrices roughly doubled relative to incomes over a decade, and the Census now shows Colorado losing domestic migrants for the first time in years (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). Affordability is the leading explanation in the migration analyses (ResiClub, 2026). | #44 of 25 | 39.6 |
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