Reentry Program Boosts Participant Incomes by 123%

DENVER, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new report evaluating the Center for Employment Opportunities’ (CEO) participants’ earnings pre- and post-enrollment shows dramatic income growth. CEO’s innovative model includes immediate, paid transitional jobs alongside wrap-around job coaching. Over 6,000 people return from incarceration annually in Colorado and the state’s 3 year recidivism rate stands at 28%. CEO’s program, operating on a national scale in addition to sites in Denver and Colorado Springs, seeks to ensure a fair chance at stable employment and economic mobility. 

The report, using data on CEO participants’ income progression sourced from Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, found:

• Between the three months prior to enrollment and to three months after enrollment, average total quarterly earnings grew by 65%
• Between the three months prior to enrollment to three months after enrollment, median total quarterly earnings grew 123%, indicating that the earnings of participants at the middle of the distribution experienced a higher growth rate than those at the 25th or 75th percentile
• Six months after enrollment, median and average total quarterly earnings sustain or grow by 123% and 100% respectively.

“These findings reinforce what we see every day: when given access to meaningful support, justice-impacted individuals thrive,” said Sam Schaeffer, CEO of the Center for Employment Opportunities. “We’re proud to contribute to a growing body of evidence showing that investing in reentry programs yields measurable and significant results—not just for individuals, but for communities and local economies.”

“We’re thrilled to see the 2025 earnings outcomes released for CEO and fellow members of the Colorado Wage Outcomes Results Coalition (Colorado WORC). The upward earnings trajectory is encouraging—and validated data like this helps programs like CEO strengthen how they serve participants,” said Roger Low, Founder and CEO of Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative. “CEO is leading by example, and we hope this momentum encourages every workforce, training, and postsecondary program in Colorado to report on these meaningful earnings outcomes. Additionally, we hope this promotes a healthy data-sharing culture, so more providers can get access to validated administrative data.”

This report was conducted and compiled by the Colorado Wage Outcomes Results Coalition of Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab at the University of Denver and supported by Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative.

Read the full press release here.

Contact:
Claire Gross, Sr. Manager of Public Relations
cgross@ceoworks.org | (646) 370-8292

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SOURCE Center for Employment Opportunities