Cincinnati Parks are swinging back toward the top in an annual ranking of park districts in the nation's 100 most populous cities. The Queen City moved up to 4th place in the Trust for Public Land's ParkScore Rankings.
Cincinnati dropped to 8th in 2024. The index ranks park systems on a host of criteria, including how close residents live to a park, investment in parks, etc.
"Cincinnati's big move this year was caused largely by improvements on park access and park investment. The Queen City's ParkScore ranking was boosted by the $5 million renovation of Downtown’s Lytle Park and a citywide effort to improve public access to schoolyards and other open spaces," according to a news release.
The Trust noted the city's 2024 score was a result of similar improvements in other cities, not changes in the local parks system.
In a statement to WVXU, Director Jason Barron says Cincinnati Parks is proud to be in the top 10 once again.
"For us though, this isn’t necessarily about earning a better ranking from one year to the next, it is about continuing to try and get better year after year at providing awesome outdoor parks and rec spaces for citizens to enjoy," he writes. "This is a team effort. It is a ranking of all of the public parks and greenspaces throughout the city. So, we want to thank all of our partner organizations, policy makers, and everyone in the community who continue to advocate for parks."
Fast facts
The Trust for Public Land's ParkScore for Cincinnati notes:
- Cincinnati has ranked in the ParkScore top 10 for 11 consecutive years;
- 91% of Cincinnati residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park;
- Cincinnati ranks above average for park amenities, especially access to sports fields and playgrounds;
- The city spent $239 per person on its park system in 2024, ahead of last year’s $190 and well above the national ParkScore average of $133, according to the Trust.
The top 10
Washington, D.C., takes the top slot again in this year's rankings. Here are the top 10 cities and their ParkScore rating:
1. Washington, DC — 85.5
2. Irvine, CA — 84.3
3. Minneapolis, MN — 83.6
4. Cincinnati, OH — 82.0
5. St. Paul, MN — 81.8
6. San Francisco, CA — 80.2
7. Arlington, VA — 77.9
8. Seattle, WA — 77.4
9. Portland, OR — 76.0
10. Denver, CO — 75.1
How the rankings work
- Park equity compares per capita park space in neighborhoods of color vs. white neighborhoods and in low-income neighborhoods vs. high-income neighborhoods. It also compares 10-minute-walk park access for people of color and lower-income residents. Park systems score higher if disparities are low or non-existent;
- Park access measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park;
- 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; and
- Park amenities assesses the availability of six popular park features: basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, splash pads and other water play structures, recreation and senior centers, and restrooms.
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