{"id":14024,"date":"2026-01-14T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/our-view-southwest-economic-outlook\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:32:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:32:37","slug":"our-view-southwest-economic-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/our-view-southwest-economic-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"Our view: Southwest Economic Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 34th annual Southwest Economic Outlook at Fort Lewis College on Jan. 6 delivered what it has for decades: a clear-eyed, data-driven view of how national and state economic forces affect the local region (Journal<\/em><\/a>, Jan. 7). That continuity owes much to University of Colorado economist Dr. Richard Wobbekind, who has participated every year, and to the FLC Katz School of Business and Bank of Colorado for their ongoing support.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s data point to an economy that is technically growing \u2013 GDP, consumer spending and some sectors show strength \u2013 yet the benefits remain uneven. Costs continue to outpace wage growth. Job gains are modest. College graduates increasingly find work outside their fields. Artificial intelligence is reshaping hiring and productivity, expanding opportunity in some sectors while narrowing entry-level paths in others.<\/p>\n

Wobbekind\u2019s statewide snapshot<\/a> reinforced that mixed picture. Colorado faces labor force declines, softer agricultural revenues, and rising credit card delinquencies, bankruptcies and student loan debt. Business pessimism exceeds the national average amid uncertainty over tariffs and federal restructuring. Gasoline prices are moderating, while state and local government employment is projected to grow. This is not a recession, he said \u2013 but a slower-growth economy.<\/p>\n

That framing understates what many households experience. Consumer spending remained strong through the third quarter of 2025, yet nearly half came from the top 10% of earners. Aggregate strength masks strain for families facing high housing costs, child care shortages, rising health care expenses and mounting debt.<\/p>\n

FLC economics professor Dr. Nate Peach highlighted the gap between wages and the cost of living in Montezuma County. According to Region 9, the livable wage annual salary for a single adult is $33,650, while a family of four is just shy of $80,000. Many service-sector jobs pay closer to $30,000, forcing difficult choices on housing, child care and daily expenses.<\/p>\n

The forum also highlighted efforts to meet regional labor and resource demands. Fort Lewis College serves as a critical economic anchor, connecting education with workforce needs through targeted programs and internships \u2013 in which more than half of students (52%) participate \u2013 and addressing workforce shortages through its new nursing program with CU Anschutz, the AI Institute and the Four Corners Water Center.<\/p>\n

Only near the forum\u2019s conclusion did a broader concept surface: a K-shaped economy, where one arm rises for higher-income households and certain sectors, while the other declines for those facing stagnant wages and rising costs. It fit the evidence \u2013 an economy that can grow while leaving many behind. The Outlook\u2019s value lies in making that imbalance visible, reminding us that growth does not guarantee shared economic well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A strong economy \u2013 but not a shared one<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[125],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-14024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-newsletter-opinion"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15027,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14024\/revisions\/15027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14024"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=14024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}