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I'm Brian Lee Burke, and I've been a REALTOR since 2003. Parker and Castle Rock are neighboring Douglas County towns, and on price they're almost the same: the median home sold for $681,000 in Parker and $685,000 in Castle Rock over the last year.
The real differences are taxes, water, commute direction and transit. Here's how they compare, using MLS data I pulled on October 29, 2026 and official town and county sources.
Call or text my team, and we'll compare any two addresses for you.
The short version
Prices are nearly identical: $681,000 median in Parker and $685,000 in Castle Rock over the 12 months ending October 28, 2026. Castle Rock has a lower base tax rate but its own water rates, no RTD and an I-25 commute. Parker has RTD bus service and sits closer to E-470 and the airport side of the metro.
| Parker | Castle Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Median sold price, last 12 months | $681,000 | $685,000 |
| Homes sold, last 12 months | 1,779 | 1,690 |
| Median price per sq ft | $270 | $267 |
| Median sold-to-list | 99.6% | 99.4% |
| For sale, Oct 29, 2026 | 593 | 544 |
| Avg days on market (for sale now) | 81 | 90 |
| New construction for sale | 66 | 52 |
| For sale with no HOA | 48 | 59 |
| Population, July 1, 2025 | 65,985 | 83,815 |
| Growth since April 2020 | About 13% | About 15% |
| County | Douglas | Douglas |
| Base mills, 2025 (no metro district) | 85.123 | 69.845 |
| Town's own levy | 2.602 mills | 0.920 mills |
| Water | Parker Water (most of town) | Castle Rock Water |
| RTD service | Bus and FlexRide | None (opted out 2005) |
| Town trails | 41 miles | 104 miles |
| School district | Douglas Co. RE-1 | Douglas Co. RE-1 |
Market figures: MLS data pulled October 29, 2026; sold figures cover October 29, 2025 to October 28, 2026 (city searches, residential). Population: US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates. Mill levies: Douglas County 2025 Tax Districts and Mill Levies.
The medians are $4,000 apart. The difference shows up at the top: over the last 12 months, 312 Castle Rock homes sold for more than $1 million, against 226 in Parker. On October 29, 2026, Castle Rock had 146 homes for sale over $1 million, and Parker had 103.
| Price | Parker sold | Castle Rock sold |
|---|---|---|
| Under $500K | 233 | 182 |
| $500K–$750K | 921 | 845 |
| $750K–$1M | 399 | 351 |
| Over $1M | 226 | 312 |
Parker has a few more homes at the entry level. By ZIP, Castle Rock's 80104 had the lowest median of either town at $630,000, and its 80108 had the highest at $875,000.
Updated all day from the MLS.
For tax year 2025, an in-town home with no metro district carries 85.123 mills in Parker and 69.845 in Castle Rock. On a $700,000 Assessor value, that's about $3,980 a year in Parker and about $3,310 in Castle Rock.
Most newer homes in both towns are in metro districts, though, and those swing the bill much more than the town does. Parker tax areas run up to 210.035 mills. In Castle Rock, most metro district areas total about 92 to 165 mills, with Founders Village at the top. Check the exact parcel at the Douglas County Assessor. My guides: Parker property taxes.
Castle Rock runs its own utility, Castle Rock Water, and its 2026 residential bill includes $65.23 a month in fixed charges before any water use, including a $36.30 renewable water charge. The Town is paying to move off deep wells toward 100% renewable water by 2065.
Most of Parker is served by Parker Water and Sanitation District, which adds 5.771 mills to the tax bill where it serves, and other districts serve parts of Parker. In either town, ask the seller for a year of water bills.
Updated all day from the MLS.
Castle Rock is an I-25 town. Almost every trip toward Denver or Colorado Springs runs on it, and the new Crystal Valley Parkway interchange is scheduled to be complete in 2027.
Parker sits east of I-25. Parker Road carries most north-south traffic, and E-470 is a toll road that trades money for time, especially toward Denver International Airport. Drive your real commute from the actual address at rush hour before you choose.
Neither town has a light rail station. Parker has RTD service: Parker FlexRide, commuter Route PD toward downtown Denver and Route 483 toward rail stations to the north.
Castle Rock voters opted out of RTD in 2005. Link On Demand, a free ride service, covers Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and parts of Parker, Monday through Saturday.
Parker's Mainstreet has the PACE Center, O'Brien Park and Discovery Park, and Parker Days fills it every June. Castle Rock's historic downtown centers on Wilcox and Perry streets and Festival Park, with three rhyolite buildings on the National Register. Starlighting, when the star on the rock is lit, has run since 1962.
In both towns, whether you can walk downtown depends on the address. See Parker walkable homes and Castle Rock walkable homes.
Castle Rock's Town manages 104 miles of trails and more than 4,000 acres of open space, including 300-acre Philip S. Miller Park and its 200-step Challenge Hill. Parker's Town maintains 41 miles of trails, and the Cherry Creek Trail runs through it.
Parker also has Rueter-Hess Reservoir, open for paddling by reservation. We go to Rueter-Hess ourselves, and it's one of my favorite spots in Parker.
Census estimates put Castle Rock's growth at about 15% from April 2020 to July 2025, and Parker's at about 13%. Castle Rock has more people, 83,815 to Parker's 65,985.
Both towns are building. New neighborhoods like Dawson Trails, The Meadows and Terrain are going up in Castle Rock, and Parker's newer building is mostly to the south and east, around Stroh, Crowfoot Valley and Hess roads. When you tour, ask what's planned on the open land nearby.
Both towns are in Douglas County School District RE-1, so use the district's school locator for the exact address. Both sit on expansive clay soils in places, and Douglas County is in EPA Radon Zone 1. I'd test for radon during every inspection period in either town.
Parker may make more sense if you want:
Castle Rock may make more sense if you want:
Read the full guides: 19 Things to Know BEFORE Moving to Parker, CO and 18 Things to Know BEFORE Moving to Castle Rock, CO.
Call or text, or send us a message, and we'll answer your questions about any home or neighborhood.
Almost the same. The median sold price was $681,000 in Parker and $685,000 in Castle Rock for the 12 months ending October 28, 2026.
Castle Rock's in-town base is lower, 69.845 mills vs 85.123 in Parker for tax year 2025. Metro districts change that for many homes, so check the parcel.
No. Parker has RTD bus and FlexRide service. Castle Rock opted out of RTD in 2005 and has Link On Demand.
Yes, Douglas County School District RE-1. Use the district's locator for the exact address.
On price, Parker and Castle Rock are close to a tie. I'd decide on commute direction, transit, the water bill and the metro district on the exact home.
Call or text my office at 303-955-4220, or send us a message, and we'll pull the taxes, HOA, water and boundary details for any address in either one.
See what's for sale today in either one.
