University of Colorado: System drives $12.5B in economic impact

BOULDER — The four-campus University of Colorado system was responsible for $12.5 billion in economic activity in the most-recent fiscal year, according to a recent analysis from the Business Research Division of CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

Include the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the economic-impact of the system — which includes the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus — rose to $20.3 billion in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, up from $20 billion in the previous year. 

“CU’s campus-by-campus economic impact was led by CU Anschutz at $5.6 billion, followed by CU Boulder at $5.3 billion, CU Denver at $744.2 million and UCCS at $571 million. CU System Administration contributed $248 million,” according to the report, which examined employee earnings, operations, construction, research, and spending by students and visitors.

“CU continues to build on its value for all Coloradans by not only providing pathways for student success, but also through its contributions to our state’s economy and workforce,” CU president Todd Saliman said in a prepared statement. “For 150 years, CU has been a major contributor to the well-being of our state, and this newest impact study continues to reinforce — even in these challenging economic times — that our university is foundational to Colorado’s well-being for the next 150 years.”

Share on Facebook on LinkedIn