In The NoCo

Colorado’s economy changed forever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how

By In The NoCo,

Published March 13, 2025 at 5:37 AM MDT

Ways To Subscribe

A view of a pedestrian zone in a downtown area with patio tables and umbrellas on one side and street barricades set up with the words "Stay Sane" printed on them in colorful letters. — A view of West Pearl Street in downtown Boulder is shown on Aug. 30, 2022. A study by the Modal Shift Report found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, more Boulder residents said they are working from home daily.

Five years ago this month, the coronavirus pandemic upended life in Colorado and around the world.

More than 14,000 Coloradans died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the state saw more than 1.7 million COVID-19 cases.

It was a global health crisis that also reshaped the state’s economy in an instant.

Businesses and air travel largely shut down for a time. Remote work, online grocery ordering, and meal delivery services became familiar parts of everyday life.

Richard Wobbekind is a senior economist with the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. If his name sounds familiar, it’s likely because lots of media outlets turn to him for his analysis.

Five years after the pandemic began, we wanted to hear his perspective about how the event changed the state’s economy in ways large and small. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about COVID-19's impact on Colorado’s housing market, outdoor industry, and other facets of business in the state.

Read more from NPR on the legacy and impact of the COVID pandemic.

Richard Wobbekind, a man wearing a light blue button-down shirt and a dark blue blazer, smiles in this photo. He's a senior economist at CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business. — Richard Wobbekind, Senior Economist with the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder

Tags

In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

See stories by In The NoCo

Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

See stories by Erin O'Toole

Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

See stories by Brad Turner

Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

See stories by Ariel Lavery