Atlanta ranks 21st in 2025 ParkScore index

Trust for Public Land announced that Atlanta placed 21st on the 2025 ParkScore index, climbing four spots ahead of last year’s 25th place rank and continuing a long-term pattern of steady improvement.  

Atop the rankings, Washington, DC, retained the ParkScore title, outpacing Irvine (2nd), Minneapolis (3rd), and Cincinnati (4th). The annual ParkScore index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and is widely considered the gold standard for park evaluation, according to a press release.

Atlanta’s ParkScore was boosted by strong marks for park access. Eighty-two percent of Atlanta residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, slightly exceeding last year’s 79 percent mark and the national ParkScore average of 76 percent. The improvement in park access was due largely to district-wide agreements to open schoolyards for community use after school hours.

The city also continues to outperform on park investment. Atlanta currently invests $272 per person on parks, more than double the national ParkScore average of $133. Atlanta’s ParkScore ranking has risen sharply over the past five years. The city first cracked the top 25 last year and  now seems poised for a run at the top 20. 

Accompanying the annual ratings list, Trust for Public Land released new public opinion research reporting that residents throughout the United States value public parks and use them frequently. These findings remain steady across demographic and ideological lines, confirming that parks are among the least polarized spaces in the United States.  Survey details are included in a special research report, Parks, The Great Unifiers, which also describes how four major U.S. cities—Atlanta, Fort Worth, Colorado Springs, and Chicago—have invested in parks to help bring people together and strengthen communities. 

Municipal leaders use ParkScore information to guide park improvement efforts, studying park access on a block-by-block basis and pinpointing the areas where new parks are needed most.

The ParkScore website, www.tpl.org/parkscore, is free and available to the public, empowering residents to hold their elected leaders accountable for achieving equitable access to quality parks for all.