SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio has improved its park system ranking among the 100 most populous cities nationwide, a new report from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) shows.
The report published in May suggests that across the 100 most populous U.S. cities, “residents of cities with the highest ParkScore rankings are more socially connected and engaged with their neighbors than those with lower-ranking park systems.”
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TPL uses ParkScore to evaluate and grade city parks and walkability.
In the case of San Antonio, the city scored among the highest in the acreage category, factoring in median park size and percentage of area dedicated to parks, a city news release said.
San Antonio is ranked 53 out of 100, up from its previous rank of 57.
Two other metros in Texas call the top 50 home; Dallas is ranked at 38, while Austin sits at 44. Houston rounds out at 68, while Plano is ranked the highest at 16.
According to ParkScore’s data, 52% of San Antonio residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park.
There are 437 parks in the city across over 30,000+ acres, the TPL data shows.
Equity in park access was another highlight for San Antonio in the 2024 report, with residents in low-income neighborhoods “having access to 31 percent more park space than those in high-income neighborhoods,” the release said.
The rankings, published annually, compare park systems in the 100 most populated cities in the US.
Five categories are measured before a city is ranked: access, investment, amenities, acreage and equity.
“The opening of new parks, funded by the voter-approved Bond Programs, helps to move the needle in providing equitable park access in San Antonio,” said Parks and Recreation Director Homer Garcia III. “Parks are critical social infrastructure that bring people together ... Investment in our park system is an investment in our community’s physical, emotional, and civic health.”
For a full breakdown of San Antonio’s data, click here.
A map of the city and demographic data can be found here.
The full TPL report can be viewed below.