Poll reveals 89% fear Colorado’s housing affordability crisis

The Colorado Health Foundation Pulse Poll reveals that 89% of respondents rate housing affordability as an extreme or very serious problem.

The results mark a significant increase from previous years and show concerns about housing affordability and the cost of living, affecting healthcare coverage and financial stability decisions.

A bipartisan team of researchers collected responses from 2,404 Coloradans between May 20 and June 24, revealing that these issues were again at the top of most Coloradans’ concerns.

The percentage of respondents who see housing affordability as an “extreme” or “very serious” problem climbed from 67% in 2020 to 89% in 2024, with 60% now saying housing is an “extremely serious” problem, up from 37% in 2020 and 51% last year.

“This year’s Pulse Poll results don’t just show that Coloradans perceive housing issues as a problem — they see them as a crisis,” said Dave Metz, Democratic pollster for Pulse and president of FM3 Research.

“Nearly nine in 10 rate the cost of housing as a ‘very serious’ problem — more than say the same for any other issue, even the cost of living overall.”

Many Coloradans doubt they can own homes and fear their children won’t be able to afford to live in Colorado long term.

“With housing affordability once again at the top of Coloradans’ concerns 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, Colorado Health Foundation senior policy director.

“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 in 2020 was more than 20% less than where we stand now.”

Work to add more affordable housing

Colorado officials announced nearly $40 million in preliminary awards last week to build over 600 subsidized housing units.

The funding is from a new statewide affordable housing program. The developments will be in Denver, Lone Tree, Fort Collins, Montrose, and Craig.

The projects will include rent protections to ensure affordability for lower — and middle-income tenants. This funding is part of Proposition 123, a voter-approved affordable housing fund expected to distribute around $300 million annually.