Boise slips from No. 21 in nationwide parks rating. Our top park perk? For the dogs
Boise has slipped in a yearly ranking of parks in the U.S., falling below the top one-third for the first time in six years.
The Trust for Public Land has issued its ParkScore ratings annually for the last decade, though Boise has only been included since 2016. The ranking looks at park systems in the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. and scores them out of 100 points based on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment and amenities.
This year, Boise slid to No. 37, its lowest score since 2016. Boise’s backslide could be due, at least in part, to a change in the way the Trust for Public Land calculated its rankings. The categories’ weights shifted last year, the first year that Boise fell — from No. 21 to 29 — since entering the list.
But data shows slight shifts in parkland, accessibility and spending that could have nudged Boise lower, particularly as other U.S. cities increased their investment in parks and recreation.
How did Boise’s parks rank, and why does it matter?
According to the Trust for Public Land, parks and open space can have myriad benefits: keeping temperatures cooler, combating wildfires and reducing water loss. They also promote exercise and can improve mental health, too.
Washington, D.C.; St. Paul, Minnesota; Arlington, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Minneapolis, Minnesota earned the top five spots. Find a full ranking online at tpl.org/parkscore.
In many aspects, Boise has held strong over the last several years, but 2022 showed it slipping slightly in all aspects. Nearly 8.5% of Boise’s total area is park space (though that’s down from 9% in 2016) and the city has increased parks-related spending nearly $90 per person since 2016. This year, it spent about $190 per person ($2 per person less than in 2021).
Boise’s per-person spending — nearly all of which comes from the city parks and rec department rather than private organizations — is nearly double the national ParkScore average.
Boise remains the top spot in the country for dog parks. The city has 6.7 dog parks per 100,000 residents, which the Trust for Public Land said is more than five times the national average. Its nearest competitor is Portland, Oregon, with 5.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents.
But, as in years past, Boise lags behind other cities in human amenities and, most notably, in equity. The ParkScore ratings show that people of color and low-income communities are less likely to have access to parks and have less park space than their wealthy or white counterparts. Boise scored particularly low in this area, earning just 29 out of 100 points for equity.
Data showed that communities of color in Boise had 78% less park space than white neighborhoods, and low-income communities had 67% less than richer communities. Those are some of the worst scores in the nation, according to the rankings.
When it comes to amenities, Boise has fewer playgrounds per 10,000 people than ever before: 2.4 compared to previous years’ 3.5. It has one recreation or senior center per 20,000 people, and scored low in the number of basketball hoops and splash pads per resident, as well. A high availability of bathrooms and, of course, the top score for dog parks kept Boise in the middle of the pack for amenities.
