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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, CA

How we calculate the San Francisco ParkScore® Ranking

The ranking for San Francisco 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

100 pts

Acreage

54 pts

Investment

100 pts

Amenities

66 pts

Equity

63 pts

100% of San Francisco 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 California

San Francisco residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park

By Age (%)

Children (0 - 19)

100

Adults (20 - 64)

100

Seniors (65+)

100

By Income (%)

High Income

100

Middle Income

100

Low Income

100

By Race/Ethnicity (%)

Native American*

Asian*

100

Black*

Hispanic

100

Pacific Islander*

White*

100

2 or More Races*

100

Other*

100

*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 35% less park space per person than the city’s average neighborhood and 56% 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 San Francisco 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 38% less park space per person than those in the average San Francisco neighborhood and 55% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.

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, San Francisco is awarded points based on their abundance relative to the other 99 cities.

Basketball Hoops

51/100pts

4.4 per 10,000 people

Playgrounds

46/100pts

3.1 per 10,000 people

Rec & Senior Centers

51/100pts

0.9 per 20,000 people

Dog Parks

100/100pts

4.8 per 100,000 people

Bathrooms

100/100pts

3.2 per 10,000 people

Splashpads

45/100pts

1.2 per 100,000 people

How much is San Francisco investing in parks?

We compared San Francisco 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

$282 (59%)
Other public agencies

$108.21 (23%)
Private organizations

$85.18 (18%)
Monetized volunteer hours

$4.68 (1%)

$480

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?

San Francisco has 483 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.

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