Home
Mesa, AZ

Mesa, AZ

How we calculate the Mesa ParkScore® Ranking

The ranking for Mesa is based on how it compares nationally on five characteristics of an excellent park system: access, investment, acreage, amenities, and equity.

Download Mesa’s ParkScore Report

Explore the Custom Rank Application

See Methodology

Access

47 pts

Acreage

15 pts

Investment

41 pts

Amenities

17 pts

Equity

45 pts

65% of Mesa residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Median City, 100 most populous U.S. cities: 74%
Median City, all urban cities and towns in U.S.: 55%

We’re working to ensure that every person, in every neighborhood, in every city across America has a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home.

See Our Work in Arizona

Mesa residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park

By Age (%)

Children (0 - 19)

Adults (20 - 64)

Seniors (65+)

By Income (%)

High Income

Middle Income

Low Income

By Race/Ethnicity (%)

Native American*

Asian*

Black*

Hispanic

Pacific Islander*

White*

2 or More Races*

Other*

*Excludes those that report Hispanic origin (which is captured separately from race by the U.S. Census).

Comparing amount of park space between neighborhoods by race/ethnicity

Residents in neighborhoods of color* have access to 13% less park space per person than the city’s average neighborhood and 27% less than those in white neighborhoods. Additionally, we compared park space in the city’s average neighborhood with others by specific race and ethnicity:

*Neighborhoods of color are defined as those in Mesa with the highest concentrations of people who identify as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, multiple races, or other communities of color (more information).

Comparing amount of park space between neighborhoods by income

Residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 25% less park space per person than those in the average Mesa neighborhood and 32% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.

3% of Mesa’s land is used for parks and recreation.

National median 15%

How do park amenities measure up?

These six amenities reflect activities popular among a diverse selection of user groups (kids, teenagers, adults, seniors). For each amenity, Mesa is awarded points based on their abundance relative to the other 99 cities.

Basketball Hoops

23/100pts

2.5 per 10,000 people

Playgrounds

10/100pts

1.4 per 10,000 people

Rec & Senior Centers

3/100pts

0.2 per 20,000 people

Dog Parks

14/100pts

0.6 per 100,000 people

Bathrooms

26/100pts

0.8 per 10,000 people

Splashpads

27/100pts

0.8 per 100,000 people

How much is Mesa investing in parks?

We compared Mesa with the other 100 most populous cities in the nation on total park investment per person, aggregating all public and private spending for any publicly accessible park in the city.

Park Investment (Three-Year Average)

City agency

$104 (99%)
Other public agencies

$0 (%)
Private organizations

$0.12 (0%)
Monetized volunteer hours

$1.41 (1%)

$105

Total Spending Per Capita

National benchmark: Relative park spending by organization type
Average among 100 most populous cities
City agency: 85.5%
Other public agencies: 7%
Private organizations: 5.5%
Monetized volunteer hours: 2%
Total per capita spending: $108 per person

See the map

Where are the parks most needed?

Mesa has 292 parks.

Trust for Public Land has mapped park access for every urban area in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Our ParkServe® mapping platform helps you pinpoint park investments to address park need, climate, equity, and health.

We’re Helping People Connect with Nature Near You