CHICAGO — An annual ranking of public park systems across the U.S. has dropped Chicago from #6 to #12 after knocking the city for a reduction in its average spending on parks and available amenities.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) scores and ranks the park systems of the 100 most populous U.S. cities each year by comparing five park categories: acreage, access, equity, investment, and amenities. All five categories are scored on a 100 point scale and weighted equally into the final average, which becomes TPL’s ParkScore® for that city.

Chicago’s 2022 ParkScore was 76.8 out of 100 while its 2023 ParkScore is 72.6.

Of the 3.6 overall points lost, 2.2 came from a reduction in the amount of money spent on parks per resident, which dropped from $182 in 2022 to $178, according to TPL’s data. The other 1.6 lost points primarily came from a reduction in available park amenities per capita; namely restrooms and basketball hoops.

The year-over-year changes aside, Chicago’s ParkScore suffers most from the category of acreage. According to TPL’s data, the city’s median park size of 2.2 acres is well below the 5.4 acre average among the 100 most populous cities. That subcategory of park size only scores 16 out of 100 points, with the acreage category only garnering 32 of 100.

Scores for the other four categories are: access 98, equity 89, investment 80, and amenities 64.

Wondering what the #1 city is according to TPL? Washington, D.C. with a ParkScore of 84.9 out of 100.

See the full data set for the 2023 rankings here, and the 2022 rankings here.

Full list of categories and subcategories used to determine the ParkScore:

Acreage
– Median park size
– Parkland as a percent of city area

Access
– Percent of residents within a 10-minute walk to a park

Equity
– % of people of color within a 10-minute walk to a park
– % of low-income households within a 10-minute walk to a park
– Neighborhoods of color have x% more or less park space than white neighborhoods
– Low-income neighborhoods have x% more or less park space than high-income neighborhoods

Investment
– Spending per resident

Amenities
– Basketball hoops per 10,000 residents
– Dog parks per 100,000 residents
– Playgrounds per 10,000 residents
– Recreation & senior centers per 20,000 residents
– Restrooms per 10,000 residents
– Splashpads & spraygrounds per 100,000 residents