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Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach, VA

How we calculate the Virginia Beach ParkScore® Ranking

The ranking for Virginia Beach 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

51 pts

Acreage

64 pts

Investment

59 pts

Amenities

45 pts

Equity

43 pts

68% of Virginia Beach 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 Virginia

Virginia Beach 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 29% less park space per person than the city’s average neighborhood and 36% 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 Virginia Beach 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 39% less park space per person than those in the average Virginia Beach neighborhood and 47% 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, Virginia Beach is awarded points based on their abundance relative to the other 99 cities.

Basketball Hoops

90/100pts

7.1 per 10,000 people

Playgrounds

93/100pts

5.3 per 10,000 people

Rec & Senior Centers

8/100pts

0.3 per 20,000 people

Dog Parks

36/100pts

1.1 per 100,000 people

Bathrooms

36/100pts

1.1 per 10,000 people

Splashpads

5/100pts

0.2 per 100,000 people

How much is Virginia Beach investing in parks?

We compared Virginia Beach 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

$128 (92%)
Other public agencies

$6.12 (4%)
Private organizations

$0.02 (0%)
Monetized volunteer hours

$4.45 (3%)

$139

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?

Virginia Beach has 382 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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Blog
February 18, 2019