Minneapolis ranks among best parks in country, while St. Paul drops out of top 3
Minneapolis ranked among the top three park systems in the U.S. for the third straight year in the Trust for Public Land's annual ranking.
Minnesota's largest city dropped to third after ranking second last year. Meanwhile, St. Paul ranks fifth in the nation, falling out of the top three after 10 straight years on the podium.
While there's a bit of jockeying between the Twin Cities, they are consistently among the best park systems in the nation.
Prior to its run in the top three, Minneapolis placed fifth in 2022, third in 2021, and first in 2020.
Meanwhile, St. Paul was third last year and placed second in 2023, 2022, and 2021.
'This national recognition reflects our city's unwavering commitment to equity, environmental stewardship, and expanding access to parks and green spaces for all,' Andy Rodriguez, Director of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, says. "We believe parks are essential to building healthy, connected communities, and we're proud to be recognized for our work to ensure every resident has access to vibrant, welcoming public spaces."
For the fifth straight year, Washington, D.C., which has preserved 21% of the city's land for parks, topped the list.
According to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, these are the top 10 highest-ranked park systems. Scores listed are out of 100.
Washington, D.C. (85.5)
Irvine, Calif. (84.3)
Minneapolis, Minn. (83.6)
Cincinnati, Ohio (82)
St. Paul, Minn. (81.8)
San Francisco, Calif. (80.2)
Arlington, Va. (77.9)
Seattle, Wash. (77.4)
Portland, Ore. (76)
Denver, Colo. (75.1)
The ParkScore index used by the Trust for Public Land ranks the 100 most populous cities in the country and is often seen as a reliable, detailed source for park evaluation.
Those cities are ranked on five factors: park access, park equity, park acreage, park investment, and park amenities.
The first category measures the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk from a park. Equity compares per capita park space and that 10-minute walk access in communities of color versus white communities and in low-income neighborhoods versus high-income neighborhoods.
In both Minneapolis and St. Paul, 99% of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park. That's significantly higher than the national average of 76%.
Similarly, both cities are above the national average of spending $133 on parks per resident. Minneapolis is at $324, and St. Paul is at $248.
Minneapolis had perfect or near-perfect scores in access, investment, and amenities. Though it ranked lower in acreage, with 14% of the land used for parks, which is below the national average of 15%, the same split as St. Paul.
"No other state can claim what Minnesota can: two nation-leading park systems in its largest cities. As other communities raise the bar, we're reminded that continued investment is essential to keep our parks strong, accessible, and equitable," says Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Minnesota State Director for Trust for Public Land.
The drop in rankings for both Minnesota cities was largely due to gains made in Irvine and Cincinnati, the Trust for Public Land adds.
Among niche rankings inside the ParkScore, St. Paul topped all park systems in the country for basketball hoop access. St. Paul also got high marks in rec and senior centers (100 of 100 points), sport fields (88 of 100 points), and bathrooms (100 of 100 points).
Minneapolis ranked well in basketball hoops (100 of 100 points), rec and senior centers (100 of 100 points), sport fields (93 of 100 points), bathrooms (100 of 100 points), and splashpads (100 of 100 points).
Other cities that topped some of those niche categories include Boise, with the best park system for dogs. Las Vegas has the highest score for playgrounds, and Boston got top marks for splashpads and other water features in parks.
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