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FIGURE 1: UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN STATES THAT ACCOUNTED FOR NEARLY
60 PERCENT OF ALL SKIER/SNOWBOARDER VISITS IN THE US (MARCH 2017)

ME
WI - 20 Ski Areas -
- 30 Ski Areas - VT 3%
3.2% - 26 Ski Areas -
MT 3.1%
- 14 Ski Areas -
3.8% MN NH
OR - 20 Ski Areas - - 28 Ski Areas -
- 13 Ski Areas - 3.8% 2.8%
3.7%
IA
- 17 Ski Areas -
3.4%
UT
- 14 Ski Areas - CO
3.1% - 31 Ski Areas -
2.3%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
(March 2017 unemployment rates)

dramatically impacts overall guest service at ski areas, hotels, Colorado’s unemployment rate crossed into
restaurants, and their related businesses. Equally important, unchartered waters in April, dropping to a record-
these alarming staffing challenges also translate into lost tax low 2.3 percent, a mark visited only four other
revenues critical for so many rural communities. In short, times by any state in recent U.S. history. The rate
having access to more workers reinforces an overall improved is so low, it is acting like an anchor on the state’s
economic environment: more workers allow ski areas to economy, leaving thousands of jobs unfilled and
generate more revenues, improve overall operations, and in hurting the ability of businesses to meet customer
turn raise wages even further. demands, economists warned. . . . “When we
NSAA stressed to Secretary Kelly that Colorado—home get unemployment rates this low, you can’t sus-
to 31 ski areas—is a prime example of why the cap on H-2b tain the pace of job growth,” said Ryan Gedney,
visa workers needs to be raised immediately. In April, for the a labor economist with the Colorado Department
second consecutive month, Colorado had the lowest unem- of Labor and Employment.
ployment rate for any state, dropping to 2.3 percent unem-
ployment. By comparison, most economists refer to an Source: “Colorado’s Dropping Unemployment Rate
unemployment rate of 4 percent as effectively “full employ- Plunges into Unchartered Waters” The Denver Post,
ment.” “By contrast,” The Denver Post noted recently in an May 19, 2017.
article about the challenges facing state businesses due to low
unemployment, “more than a dozen states have never seen And Colorado is the largest state for the broader American
their unemployment rates get below 4 percent in the past four ski industry by far, accounting for one in every five skier visits
decades.” As The Denver Post explained: in the United States. With more than 13 million skier visits to

SUMMER 2017 | NSAA JOURNAL | 13