According to the recent announcement from the Trust for Public Land, Washington, DC, has been rated the nation’s best big-city park system in the 2025 ParkScore® index.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that Washington has held the top position.
Arlington, Virginia, also fared well, ranking seventh nationally and achieving its tenth consecutive top-ten finish in the annual rankings.
Washington narrowly outscored competitors such as Irvine, California (2nd), Minneapolis (3rd), and Cincinnati (4th) to retain its coveted ParkScore title.
The ParkScore® index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities, and it is recognized as the gold standard for evaluating parks across the nation.
Both Washington and Arlington achieved high ratings on all the factors considered in the ParkScore index.
An impressive 99% of residents in both cities live within a 10-minute walk of a park, significantly surpassing the national ParkScore average of 76%.
In terms of financial investment in parks, Washington allocates $393 per resident, while Arlington invests $301.
These amounts are more than double the national ParkScore city average of $133 per resident.
Washington’s strong performance in the ParkScore ranking can be attributed to its significant park acreage; 21.5% of the city’s total area is dedicated to parks, compared to the national average of 9.3%.
Arlington also boasts a healthy 11.3% of city area designated for local parks.
Although Arlington slipped slightly from its fifth place ranking last year, the decline was primarily caused by improved rankings from Cincinnati and San Francisco rather than any worsening of Arlington’s park system.
In conjunction with the ParkScore rankings, Trust for Public Land released new public opinion research, emphasizing the value residents across the United States place on public parks.
The survey found that usage of parks is widespread, with 89% of residents in ParkScore cities visiting a public park at least once in the past year.
This trend holds steady across different demographic and ideological groups, indicating that parks serve as one of the least polarized spaces in the country.
The findings revealed that 79% of respondents reported visiting a local park regularly and feeling comfortable spending time there, regardless of political affiliation.
Additionally, many respondents expressed a desire to spend more time outdoors over the past year.
Only 24% said they wished to stay at home more often, and even fewer (16%) indicated a preference for spending time in bars or restaurants.
A striking 66% of respondents reported initiating conversations with strangers in public parks.
This data comes from a National Survey on Outdoor Public Spaces conducted by YouGov in March 2025, which included 2,000 participants.
Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, President and CEO of Trust for Public Land, emphasized the importance of parks in promoting community well-being.
“Parks bring people together and deliver enormous physical and mental health benefits for visitors,” she stated.
Hauser further noted that during a time of considerable societal polarization, parks may be one of the last ideology-free zones where individuals can connect and enjoy a sense of peace and relaxation.
Trust for Public Land plans to collaborate with park departments and government leaders to maximize the community-building potential parks can offer.
The rankings this year illustrate why Washington, DC, is celebrated for its park system, with its notable contributions to park access and equity.
The district reserves a substantial portion of its land for public parks, boasting one of the highest percentages in the nation.
This access and investment play a crucial role in the annual evaluation process.
Irvine, California, achieved a remarkable ParkScore finish thanks to ongoing developments in its planned Great Park, which stands out as one of the most ambitious public park projects in the country.
Cincinnati made significant strides in the rankings by climbing to third place this year, a notable rise from its eighth position last year.
This advancement was largely due to a $5 million renovation of Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati and efforts to expand public access to schoolyards and other public spaces.
Boise, Idaho, defended its title as the city with the best park system for dogs, offering an impressive 9.0 dog parks per 100,000 residents.
Following Boise are Portland, Oregon, and Henderson, Nevada, in the dog park category.
Meanwhile, St. Paul received top honors for the availability of basketball hoops, Las Vegas led the way in playground quality, and Boston excelled in providing splashpads and water features.
Several other cities also made notable gains in the 2025 ParkScore ratings.
For instance, Port St. Lucie, Florida, jumped 25 spots to rank seventy-third; Buffalo, New York, rose 19 places to position twenty-second; and Chesapeake, Virginia, moved up 14 places to rank thirty-sixth.
The ParkScore methodology is both comprehensive and transparent, relying on five equally weighted factors that include park access, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.
Park access evaluates the proportion of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park, while park equity analyzes disparities in access and space between different communities.
Park acreage assesses the overall size of parks and the percentage of land allocated to them.
Park investment focuses on per-resident spending for parks.
Lastly, park amenities measure the presence of popular features like basketball hoops, dog parks, playgrounds, splashpads, sports fields, recreation centers, and restrooms.
The ParkScore index employs advanced Geographic Information Systems technology to accurately evaluate park accessibility while accounting for natural and man-made barriers.
Municipal leaders utilize the insights provided by ParkScore to evolve park improvement strategies, focusing on areas that require new park developments.
For more information on ParkScore, visit their website at www.tpl.org/parkscore to explore how these rankings are helping communities strive for equitable park access.
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