Jacksonville Ranks 81st on ParkScore Index

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cities with highest ParkScore rankings are healthier places to live.

Trust for Public Land announced today that Jacksonville ranked 81st of 100 on the 2023 ParkScore index. Atop the ratings, Washington, DC, retained the national ParkScore title, finishing narrowly ahead of 2nd place Saint Paul. The ParkScore index evaluates park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and is widely considered the gold standard for park evaluation.

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Jacksonville received its strongest marks for park acreage and park amenities. Jacksonville reserves 18.1 percent of city area for parks, well above the national ParkScore average of 9.8 percent. The city also offers above-average access to basketball hoops and recreation and senior centers.

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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. ParkScore rankings are based equally on five factors:

• Park access measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.

• Park equity compares per capita park space and 10-minute-walk park access in communities of color vs. white communities and in low-income neighborhoods versus high-income neighborhoods. Park systems score higher if disparities are minimal or non-existent.

• Park acreage is based on a city’s median park size and the percentage of city area dedicated to parks.

• Park investment measures park spending per resident.

• Park amenities assesses the availability of six popular park features: basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, splashpads and other water-play structures, recreation and senior centers, and restrooms.

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