Colorado, it’s a new year and a new you. Time to take stock of shortcomings and tote up bragging rights. Time to look at how you measure up against those other states — those Dakota and Virginia twins, those coastal elites and those Southern laggards.
Sure, such a square state can revel in the fact it rates a cool ranking of No. 1 for the sales of sporting goods, for money spent on skiing and for sheer numbers of svelte — or at least not obese — residents.
But what’s up with being No. 1 in teen depression and having the fastest growing rate of child poverty — ouch.
There are also some things about Colorado that just don’t add up, like the fact the state stands 17th in alcohol consumption but dead last in spending on addiction rehabilitation programs. Is there possibly a bit of greed that needs to be addressed in the fifth-place ranking for credit card debt but a 29th ranking for charitable giving?
And what about that downward slide — from 17th to 19th among overall healthiest states? Could that have anything to do with being 34th for prenatal care and second when it comes to the number of nursing home residents with bedsores? How about 48th for spending on the disabled?
Is there any reason why outdoorsy Colorado should trail more than 20 states when it comes to having good bike policies and legislation that benefits cyclists? And 14 other states without thin mountain air do better at not smoking than Colorado.
But Colorado is a smart state (mostly, if one forgets about that near-the-bottom ranking for public funding for colleges and universities) and should be able to fix such things. It’s first runner-up for people older than 25 with college degrees. And it’s seventh for library visits per capita and eighth for the number of reference questions asked in libraries.
If there’s a state ranking for belief in state rankings, Colorado might fall in the middle.
“You have to scratch beneath the surface. You need to pay attention to methodology, groups and motivation,” said Evan Dreyer, Gov. Bill Ritter’s spokesman.
Dreyer is willing to step out and make a New Year’s resolution for a state with ranking foibles: “We can’t stop striving to improve how we do things and to improve the quality of life for all Coloradans.”
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
Ranking samples
1.
Growth in child poverty rate
Teen depression
2.
Business startups per capita
3.
Low cancer death rates
4.
Deficient bridges
5.
Credit card debt
6.
Least air pollution
7.
Library visits per capita
Voter turnout in the 2008 election
8.
Reference questions asked at libraries
Suicide
10.
Having the highly skilled and paid workers necessary to create a “new economy”
15.
Knowledgeable about rules of the road
Not smoking
17.
Consumption of distilled spirits
Volunteering
19.
Urban interstate congestion
Healthy states
Poor mental-health days
22.
Ease of getting doctor appointments
Bike policies and bike-helpful legislation
30.
Average debt of graduates from Colorado institutions
38.
Rate of uninsured residents
48.
Disparity of health care among geographic areas
Spending on substance abuse treatment
Spending on the disabled
50.
Spending on alcohol rehab programs
Source: Denver Post research
