Boston, MA
2020 ParkScore® ranking: #9
Our analysis is based on four characteristics of an effective park system:
access, investment, acreage, and amenities.
How we calculated Boston’s ParkScore rating:
Access
100 out of 100
Acreage
49 out of 100
Investment
92 out of 100
Amenities
65 out of 100
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How does it work?
Cities can earn a maximum ParkScore rating of 100.
In evaluating park systems, we include land owned by all public agencies within the 100 most populous U.S. cities that functions as a park. ParkScore index methodology
Everyone deserves a park within a 10-minute walk of home.
Is Boston meeting that goal?
100%
of residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park.
National average 55%
Percent of residents within a
10-minute walk of a park by age
Children (0 - 19)
Adults (20 - 64)
Seniors (65+)
Percent of residents within a
10-minute walk of a park by income
Percent of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park by race/ethnicity
17%
of Boston's city land is used for parks and recreation.
National median 15%
Where in Boston are parks needed most?
Boston has 930 parks
We’ve mapped park access in 14,000 cities and towns across the country. Our free mapping platform helps you pinpoint where to focus park investments in your city.
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See Boston's Map
Boston Park Amenities Compared to the 100 Largest U.S. Cities
Basketball Hoops
62 nd percentile
3.8 per 10,000 people
Dog Parks
75 th percentile
1.9 per 100,000 people
Playgrounds
85 th percentile
4 per 10,000 people
Bathrooms
26 th percentile
1 per 10,000 people
Recreation and Senior Centers
66 th percentile
0.9 per 20,000 people
Splashpads
99 th percentile
10.3 per 100,000 people
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ParkServe methodology
Download the data
Park summary for Boston
All park access data for the U.S.
2020 City Park Facts
Parkscore ranking analysis
Mayor Martin Walsh has pledged to adopt long-term, system-wide strategies to make sure every Boston resident has access to all the benefits parks provide.
"I have endorsed the vision that everyone deserves a park or open space within a 10-minute walk of home." — Mayor Walsh
Learn about the 10-Minute Walk campaign
Partner with us
You believe everyone deserves access to great parks. We can help you reach that goal.
Contact Kelly Boling, Massachusetts State Director at the Trust for Public Land
Contact us
We’re helping people connect with nature near you
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Garrison-Trotter Farm

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Grove Hall Park

The Trust for Public Land is helping residents of Boston’s Grove Hall neighborhood transform a prominently situated vacant lot into a new park, through a partnership with the Boston Parks & Recreation Department and Boston Department of Neighborhood Development.Read more

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Boston Urban Agriculture

As in many cities around the country, low-income neighborhoods in Boston are burdened with high unemployment rates and limited access to healthy food. Together, these factors contribute to a local food crisis that disproportionately affects the city's most vulnerable people.Read more