Editing Castle Rock, Colorado (section)

==Economy==
Because of its Front Range location between Denver and its inner suburbs and Colorado Springs, many of Castle Rock's residents commute nearly 40 miles to southern [[Colorado Springs]] on [[Interstate 25 in Colorado|I-25]] or the [[Denver Technological Center]], better known as the Denver Tech Center, which is an 18-mile drive north, with downtown [[Denver]] roughly 30 miles north, and [[Denver International Airport]] about 45 miles north.

About 80% of Castle Rock residents commute out of town to work.<ref name="Denver Post">{{cite web |last1=Rubino |first1=Joe |title=As Castle Rock looks to evolve beyond a bedroom community, the old town dump will be key |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/13/castle-rock-douglas-county-growth/ |website=Denver Post |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref> The average one-way commute time for a Castle Rock resident is about 29 minutes, longer than the U.S. average.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commuting in Castle Rock, Colorado |url=https://www.bestplaces.net/transportation/city/colorado/castle_rock |website=Castle Rock, Colorado |publisher=Sperling's Best Places |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref> One reason for this is that the town has not yet attracted the variety or extent of employers needed to significantly lower the number of commuters to work outside Castle Rock. The town has relatively little land zoned for industrial or light industrial use, with the vast majority of the land within town limits dedicated to residential construction only.<ref>{{cite web |title=Future Land Use Plan |url=http://www.crgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/12776/Future_Land_Use_Plan |website=Town of Castle Rock, Colorado |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref>

As of 2011, 78.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force, 0.4% was in the armed forces, and 77.7% was in the civilian labor force, with 72.6% employed and 5.1% unemployed. The employed civilian labor force was 48.0% in management, business, science, and arts; 25.8% in sales and office occupations; 14.7% in service occupations; 6.4% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; and 5.2% in production, transportation, and material moving. The three industries employing the largest proportion of the working civilian labor force were educational services, health care, and social assistance (15.5%); professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (13.2%); and finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (12.6%).

Castle Rock's cost of living is above average. Compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the town is 137.2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cost of Living in Castle Rock, Colorado |url=https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/colorado/castle_rock |website=Castle Rock, Colorado |publisher=Sperling's Best Places |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref>

As of mid-2019, the median home value in the town was $427,537.<ref name="Denver Post"/> The median gross monthly rent for an apartment was about $1,461.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Castle Rock town, Colorado|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/castlerocktowncolorado}}</ref>

The town's housing base continues to grow. About 1,400 permits to build new homes were issued in 2018.<ref name="Denver Post"/>