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The 5 U.S. cities getting the most out of their park systems in 2026

Park access varies from one city to the next. Trust for Public Land measured which of the 100 largest metros spend the most per resident on green space

David Everett Strickler / Unsplash

A park can change the way a neighborhood functions. Families with young children treat playgrounds as a daily routine rather than a weekend outing. Older residents rely on paved trails and shaded benches for exercise that doesn't require a gym membership or a car ride. Renters evaluating two apartments at the same price point often pick the one closer to green space without thinking twice, and homeowners in park-adjacent blocks tend to see stronger resale values over time. The practical benefits go beyond quality of life. Cities that maintain well-funded park systems absorb stormwater more efficiently, reduce urban heat, and give residents free alternatives to activities that would otherwise cost money out of pocket.

Not every city delivers on that promise equally. Nationally, only 76% of residents in the 100 largest cities live within a 10-minute walk of a park, and spending per resident ranges from double-digit figures in some cities to more than $300 in others. The gap between the best-funded systems and the rest has widened in recent years, as the best-funded systems keep adding acreage, amenities, and programming while underfunded ones struggle to maintain what they already have. A new economic analysis found that city parks return $3 in measurable benefits for every $1 invested, a figure that accounts for reduced health care costs from physical activity, savings on stormwater infrastructure, and free recreation that would otherwise come out of residents' pockets.

Trust for Public Land released its 2026 ParkScore index in May, ranking the park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five equally weighted categories. Access measures the share of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park. Equity compares park space and access between communities of color and white communities, and between low-income and high-income neighborhoods. Acreage, investment, and amenities round out the scoring, with each city earning up to 100 points. The top five cities all scored above 81, and no other state besides Minnesota placed two cities in that group. The scores at the top were tight enough that small year-over-year shifts in any single category could reshuffle the order, a sign that competition among the leading park systems has become a genuine race rather than a formality.

Andy Feliciotti / Unsplash

Trust for Public Land gave Washington, D.C., the highest ParkScore rating in the country for the sixth consecutive year, awarding the District 85.1 out of 100 points. More than 21% of the city's land is reserved for parks, one of the highest shares among the 100 cities in the study. The District also earned top marks on the index's access and equity metrics, which measure both how close residents live to green space and whether that access holds up across income levels and racial demographics. Mayor Muriel Bowser framed the streak as the product of deliberate, sustained investment in........

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