New York City, NY

10
How we calculate the New York City ParkScore® Ranking

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

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Access
99 pts
Acreage
52 pts
Investment
91 pts
Amenities
48 pts
Equity
74 pts
99% of New York City 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.

New York City residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park
By Age (%)
Children (0 - 19)
99
Adults (20 - 64)
99
Seniors (65+)
99
By Income (%)
High Income
99
Middle Income
99
Low Income
99
By Race/Ethnicity (%)
Native American*
99
Asian*
99
Black*
99
Hispanic
99
Pacific Islander*
99
White*
99
2 or More Races*
99
Other*
99
*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 the same park space per person as the city’s average neighborhood and 32% 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 New York City 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 20% more park space per person than those in the average New York City neighborhood and 19% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.
21% of New York City’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, New York City is awarded points based on their abundance relative to the other 99 cities.
Basketball Hoops
57/100pts
4.8 per 10,000 people
Playgrounds
27/100pts
2.2 per 10,000 people
Rec & Senior Centers
11/100pts
0.3 per 20,000 people
Dog Parks
66/100pts
1.8 per 100,000 people
Bathrooms
25/100pts
0.8 per 10,000 people
Splashpads
100/100pts
6.7 per 100,000 people
How much is New York City investing in parks?
We compared New York City 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
    $153 (77%)
  • Other public agencies
    $16.76 (8%)
  • Private organizations
    $25.85 (13%)
  • Monetized volunteer hours
    $4.15 (2%)
$199
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