Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Castle Rock are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
29% of workers have no commute at all (Colorado 21%). Poverty touches 3.8% of residents (Colorado 9.4%). Castle Rock grades A for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Castle Rock
Castle Rock’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Castle Rock is Denver, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 19% of working residents (7,543) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Home offices are common in Castle Rock
29% of Castle Rock workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado. Time on the road ↓
Castle Rock has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Castle Rock went from 17,887 in 2013 to 24,707 in 2023, +38%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Why Castle Rock gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Castle Rock is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #39 of 159 in Colorado. Household income holds Castle Rock’s grade up ($145,197, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Castle Rock could be anywhere from A− to A.
Half of Castle Rock commutes less than 18 miles
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 29 minutes each way for Castle Rock’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Castle Rock workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 30,707 commuters (the 29% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The kinds of work in Castle Rock
24,707 jobs are based in Castle Rock.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Castle Rock, 2013 → 2023: 17,887 → 24,707. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Castle Rock’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Castle Rock on a workday
On a workday 33,309 residents head out to work, 6,224 work right here, and 18,483 people come in from elsewhere.
About 69,000 people are in Castle Rock on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.62 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
19% of working residents work in Denver
Where Castle Rock clocks in
19% of workers
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
For most of Castle Rock, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Castle Rock is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #115 of 159 in Colorado. Both inputs place Castle Rock near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 43,130 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.3% of Castle Rock households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Castle Rock’s commuters take a bus or train.
Castle Rock next to U.S. towns of 59,000 to 113,000: 73rd of 532 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Highlands Ranch CO | 102,257 | $159K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Parker CO | 65,985 | $133K | 4.4% | 3.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 44 | Centennial CO | 108,658 | $132K | 3.3% | 4.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 71 | Brookline MA | 63,414 | $142K | 8.7% | 3.6% | 7% | A |
| 72 | West Hartford CT | 64,242 | $130K | 6.3% | 4.1% | 14% | A |
| 73 | Castle Rock CO | 83,815 | $145K | 3.8% | 4.4% | 16% | A |
| 74 | Boulder CO | 105,689 | $87K | 21.5% | 6.0% | 44% | A |
| 75 | Rowlett TX | 67,890 | $112K | 6.1% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 532 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Castle Rock, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
Castle Rock and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Castle Rock workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Rock | – | A | B | 29 min | $145,197 |
| Castle Pines Village | under 3% | A− | C+ | 24 min | $250,000+ |
| Castle Pines | under 3% | A | B+ | 27 min | $191,229 |
| The Pinery | under 3% | A | C | 31 min | $194,446 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Castle Rock’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Castle Rock: questions
What is the median household income in Castle Rock?
$145,197 (±$7,924) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Castle Rock?
3.8%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Castle Rock?
29 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 29% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Castle Rock work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denver (19%, 27 mi), Centennial (7%, 15 mi), Aurora (6%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Castle Rock walkable?
Castle Rock is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Castle Rock without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Castle Rock, from the people who make the trip.
More of Castle Rock
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.