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Most states have 鈥渨inter protections鈥�, meaning a utility company can't shut off power when the weather is below a certain temperature. But less than half of states have similar 鈥渟ummer protections.鈥� And utility rates have risen almost $300 more than they were a decade ago.

According to GasBuddy, the average price of gas in the U.S. is $3.56 for a gallon of unleaded gas. In the Mountain West, you'll see prices range from $3.30 in New Mexico to $4.31 in Nevada.

LendingTree analyzed small business data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and found that almost 1 in 4 businesses fail in their first year. The 23% failure rate from 2023 is two percentage points more than the year before and four percentage points more than in 2021.

A record surge of new outdoor participants helped grow gear sales for a few years. But a report from the Outdoor Industry Association earlier this month found that sales of outdoor gear, apparel and accessories was down 3% for 2023. Sales at independent stores also declined 10%.

The city of Longmont recently won designation for a CHIPS Zone, providing tax incentives for companies engaged in semiconductor design and production. Longmont became the second Colorado city after Fort Collins to receive such a designation.

Across the United States, chronic worker shortages have led many companies to invest in machines to do some of the work they can't find people to do.

A new report highlights how states in the West benefit from national monuments, which are waters and lands that are permanently protected.

We've talked a lot about housing on KUNC 鈥� not least of all about the high price tags. But there's more to Colorado's economic picture that makes it expensive to live here. The Colorado Sun reporter Michael Booth joined KUNC鈥檚 Nikole Robinson Carroll to discuss the full economic picture.

Most of the Mountain West ranks below average when it comes to health insurance coverage and median income, according to recently released Census data.

There are thousands of popular hiking trails in the Mountain West, but until recently it鈥檚 been difficult to measure just how many people use them. Now, the nonprofit Headwaters Economics is combining infrared counters with fitness tracking apps to accurately measure trail use so that land managers can gain a better sense of how to spend.