The internet is a very cool place. Because with Google, Bing, etc., all you need to have is a natural curiosity itch, and search results can scratch it. I have watched Jared Polis since he took office and have noted that, while his mouth says, “Libertarian,” his actions say, “big government, take your money, socialist.” I had a hunch, so me and Google went to work.
Brace yourself: under Governor Jared Polis, Colorado’s budget has gone from “manageable” to “monstrous”—and the troop count in the civil service has ballooned alongside it.
In the 2019–20 fiscal year, the state’s all-funds budget clocked in at about $32.1 billion, give or take a decimal point—Polis’s starter pistol for the spend-o-rama . Even when COVID panic-buying bumped revenues down, FY 2020–21 still saw nearly $31.6 billion on the table. That’s right: in the teeth of a global shutdown, Polis found a way to keep the train rolling .
Once the pandemic gravy train got back on track, though, budget growth looked less like a crawl and more like a rocket launch. FY 2021–22 skated past $35.3 billion—an 11.7 percent leap in a single year. By FY 2022–23, spending jumped again to $37.9 billion, a 7.4 percent uptick that would make even the most ardent Keynesian blush .
Fast-forward to last spring, and the legislature packed $42.93 billion into the FY 2024–25 Long Bill, a stingy 9 percent boost over FY 2023–24—and absolutely painless for the sub-$50 billion crowd . And just to make sure nobody misses the point, the Governor’s FY 2025–26 proposal waddles in at $46.4 billion, another 8.1 percent swing toward the fiscally unfettered life .
That’s roughly a 44 percent surge in state-level spending in six short years—without so much as a raised eyebrow from the Polis administration.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s population has lumbered forward at a turtle’s pace. From about 5.775 million residents in April 2020 to an estimated 5.957 million by July 2024, the Centennial State grew just 3.2 percent—barely enough to keep up with new rooftops (U.S. Census Bureau). In other words, Colorado’s government has far outgrown the population. In even more words, per-person state outlays have catapulted from roughly $5,560 in FY 2019–20 to an eye-watering $7,800 by FY 2025–26 (projected)—a 40 percent real-terms jolt while most families are still balancing their own ledgers.
But wait—there’s more government! The full-time-equivalent headcount in Colorado’s bureaucracy has swelled alongside the spending spree. Over the past decade, state employee FTEs have climbed 20.3 percent, according to the Common Sense Institute—and even during the fiscal face-palm of FY 2019–20, the payroll rolls grew 3.4 percent, then tacked on another 0.85 percent in FY 2022–23 under Polis’s watchful eye (commonsenseinstituteus.org).
Let’s translate that into plain English: while Coloradans wrestle with skyrocketing housing, food, and insurance costs, their own government grows fatter—both in terms of dollars and bodies—every single year.
Is “big-government bloat” a buzzkill? Sure. But it’s also the name of the game in the Polis era. Taxes, fees, and regulations may not have jumped every month, but when the check hit the table, the governor never sent it back. Instead, he just ordered an extra round of spending, invited more bureaucrats to the bar, and raised the tab for every working Coloradan.
So next time someone mentions “fiscal restraint” in Colorado, you can crack open these numbers—and watch them choke on their own punchline. Because when it comes to chasing programs, hikes, and new fees, Polis hasn’t just met them; he’s dated, married, and honeymooned with every last one.
My Sources:
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2019–20
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2019-20
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2020–21
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2020-21
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2021–22
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2021-22
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2022–23
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2022-23
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2023–24
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2023-24
Appropriations Report, Fiscal Year 2024–25
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/appropriations-report-fiscal-year-2024-25
FY 2025–26 Budget Package & Long Bill Narrative (Joint Budget Committee)
https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/fy-2025-26-budget-package-and-long-bill-narrative
Colorado Population Estimates (U.S. Census Bureau)
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CO/PST045224
Colorado State Demography Office
https://demography.dola.colorado.gov/
Common Sense Institute—Colorado’s State Government Workforce
https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/taxes-and-fees/colorados-state-government-workforce
