photo by angela n.
From the Trust for Public Land:
“Trust for Public Land announced today that Washington, DC, was rated the nation’s best big-city park system by the 2025 ParkScore® index. Washington has now held the top spot for five consecutive years. Arlington ranked seventh nationally, securing its tenth consecutive top-ten finish. Washington narrowly outscored Irvine, California (2nd), Minneapolis (3rd) and Cincinnati (4th) to retain the ParkScore title. The annual ParkScore® index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and is widely considered the gold standard for park evaluation.
Both cities ranked highly on all ParkScore index rating factors. Ninety-nine percent of Washington and Arlington residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park,
far exceeding the national ParkScore average of 76 percent. Both cities also outperform on park investment. Washington spends $393 per resident on parks and Arlington invests $301. Both cities invest more than double the national ParkScore city average of $133.
Washington’s ParkScore was lifted by strong marks for park acreage. The District reserves 21.5 percent of city area for parks, including federal parks, which is well above the national average of 9.3 percent. Arlington reserves 11.3 percent of city area for local parks. Arlington placed fifth last year, but the city’s slight drop was caused mostly by upward moves from Cincinnati and San Francisco, not changes to the local park system.
Accompanying the annual ratings list, Trust for Public Land released new public opinion research reporting that residents throughout the United States value public parks and use them frequently. These findings remain steady across demographic and ideological lines, confirming that parks are among the least polarized spaces in the United States. Survey details are included in a special research report, Parks, The Great Unifiers, which also describes how four major U.S. cities—Atlanta, Fort Worth, Colorado Springs, and Chicago—have invested in parks to help bring people together and strengthen communities.
The research found that 89 percent of ParkScore city residents visited a public park at least once during the past year (90% self-recalled Harris voter; 92% self-recalled Trump voter) and 79% said they visit a local park regularly and feel comfortable spending time there (80% Harris voter; 83% Trump voter). Also, respondents said they wished they had spent more time outdoors during the past year (45% Harris voter; 35% Trump voter). By contrast, only 24% of respondents said they wished they had spent more time at home and 16% said they wished they had spent more time in bars or restaurants. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (66% Harris voter; 67% Trump voter) said they struck up a conversation in a public park with a person they had not known previously. The public opinion survey, National Survey on Outdoor Public Spaces, was conducted by national pollster YouGov in March, 2025 (N=2,000). Additional details about the survey are available upon request.
“Parks bring people together and deliver enormous physical and mental health benefits for visitors,” Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, President and CEO of Trust for Public Land, said. “At a time when so much in our nation seems fractured or polarized, parks may be the last ideology-free zones, where everyone can come together, form meaningful relationships, and enjoy a few hours of peace and relaxation. At Trust for Public Land, we will continue to work with park departments and leaders at all levels of government to realize the full community-building potential for parks,” Hauser added.
PARKSCORE RANKINGS FOR 2025
Washington, DC, was rated the best big-city park system in the United States for the fifth consecutive year. The city scored well on all ParkScore rating factors. Twenty-one percent of land in the District of Columbia is reserved for parks, among the highest in the United States. The District also outperformed on ParkScore’s park access and park equity metrics.
Irvine jumped to a record ParkScore finish, powered by continued progress on its planned Great Park, one of the most ambitious public park projects in the United States. Cincinnati made a big move in the 2025 ParkScore rankings, climbing to third position this year, well ahead of last year’s eighth place rank. The Queen City’s rise was due primarily to the $5 million renovation of downtown’s Lytle Park and a citywide effort to improve public access to schoolyards and other open spaces.
Boise defended its title as the best park system for dogs, with a nation-leading 9.0 dog parks per 100,000 residents, outscoring Portland, Oregon, and Henderson, Nevada. St. Paul received top marks for basketball hoops, Las Vegas scored best for playgrounds, and Boston earned top marks for splashpads and other water features.
Other major ParkScore movers this year include Port St. Lucie, Florida (+25 to seventy-third); Buffalo, New York (+19 to twenty-second); and Chesapeake, VA (+14 to thirty-sixth).
PARKSCORE METHODOLOGY AND RANKINGS
The annual ParkScore® index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and is widely considered the gold standard for park evaluation. ParkScore rankings are based equally on five factors:
Park access measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Park equity compares per capita park space and 10-minute-walk park access in communities of color vs. white communities and in low-income neighborhoods versus high-income neighborhoods. Park systems score higher if disparities are minimal or non-existent.
Park acreage is based on a city’s median park size and the percentage of city area dedicated to parks.
Park investment measures park spending per resident.
Park amenities assesses the availability of seven popular park features: basketball hoops; off-leash dog parks; playgrounds; splashpads and other water-play structures; sports fields; recreation and senior centers, and restrooms.
According to Trust for Public Land, the 10 highest-ranking park systems in the United States are:
The ParkScore index uses advanced GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and spatial analysis to evaluate park accessibility. Instead of measuring distance to a local park, the rating system’s GIS technology considers the location of park entrances and physical obstacles to access. For example, if residents are separated from a nearby park by a major highway, the ParkScore index does not count the park as accessible to those residents, unless there is a bridge, underpass, or easy access point across the highway.
Municipal leaders use ParkScore information to guide park improvement efforts, studying park access on a block-by-block basis and pinpointing the areas where new parks are needed most. The ParkScore website, www.tpl.org/parkscore, is free and available to the public, empowering residents to hold their elected leaders accountable for achieving equitable access to quality parks for all.”