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<\/p>\nCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) \u2014 The average wage in El Paso County rose to over $68,000 in 2025, up from about $65,000 in 2024, according to a report from the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC. But some residents say the increase hasn’t been enough to outpace inflation.<\/p>\n
Bonnie Goff, Chamber and EDC’s VP of Economic Development, said the wage increase is making a difference for many in the region.<\/p>\n
“It’s allowing our residents to have a more comfortable lifestyle in the Pikes Peak region,” said Goff.<\/p>\n
According to the state Office of Economic Development, Colorado’s unemployment rate is also low.<\/p>\n
“For every one unemployed person, there’s one open job,” said Goff.<\/p>\n
Last December, the state saw a decrease in “separations,” meaning people were staying put at their jobs.<\/p>\n
“Colorado was only one of two states in the nation that saw this positive impact,” said Goff.<\/p>\n
I asked residents in Colorado Springs if they’re feeling the benefits. Brothers Skylar and Merritt Ogren said the raise hasn’t gone far enough.<\/p>\n
“My dollar is not going further right now, I don’t think that it’s helped us surpass the inflation,” said Skylar Ogren.<\/p>\n
“So, we are actually making more than we made before and we’re still feeling like, you know, we’re barely able to put anything in savings,” said Merritt Ogren.<\/p>\n
According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single adult in Colorado Springs would need to earn just over $50,000 to cover basic expenses like food, housing and transportation, meaning the extra $3,000 in average wages does help in that scenario.<\/p>\n
However, the picture changes significantly depending on household makeup. For a single parent, the living wage nearly doubles. For a two-adult household where only one person works, the $68,000 average wage comes close to the $70,000 yearly living wage threshold. <\/p>\n
If both parents work, that required number drops, though households with three or more children may still need to earn above the county average to get by.<\/p>\n
The wage increase offers relief for some Colorado Springs residents, but how far it goes depends heavily on individual household situations.<\/p>\n
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One man is on a mission to find a permanent home for a wind phone to honor his mother<\/p>\n
Derrick Johnson says he is on a mission. He wants to find a permanent home in Colorado Springs for a wind phone to honor his mother, Ellen Lopes. She is one of the identified victims in the Return to Nature Funeral Home case.<\/p>\n
One man is on a mission to find a permanent home for a wind phone to honor his mother<\/p>\n
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