The Most Playful Cities in the United States

By Nic Breedlove

When you think of the most fun cities in America, what comes to mind? Are there many grassy fields filled with playgrounds where kids laugh and swing from monkey bars? Perhaps it’s a place where green open spaces and pleasant trails make it easy to enjoy time outdoors. Parks are more than a cheery place to pass through on a sunny day—they prioritize the well-being of a city’s residents by encouraging outdoor activity, community connection, and play. However, not all cities are equal regarding their park and recreational venues. In this report from AAA State of Play, we’ve compiled a list of the most playful cities in the U.S. and explored what factors contribute to their success.

Click to view full size image:

Embed this image on your site:

<a href=""https://www.aaastateofplay.com/every-crayola-crayon-color-ever-made/"> <img src="https://aaastateofplay.com/media/wysiwyg/most-playful-cities-5.png" alt="=The Most Playful Cities in the United States" title="The Most Playful Cities in the United States - AAAStateofPlay.com - Infographic"></a><br><a href="https://www.AAAStateofPlay.com" >By AAAStateofPlay.com</a>

What Does It Mean for a City to Be Playful?

Playful cities aren’t just the U.S. cities with the most parks or playgrounds. A truly playful city invites people of all ages to be active, socialize, and enjoy their surroundings. Playfulness refers to how well a city designs spaces to inspire joy and relaxation. For example, a city with splashpads on a hot summer day, basketball courts, or even just wide-open green spaces for mixed uses is a city that might be considered playful. By investing in parks, trails, playgrounds, and public spaces, they create communities where people can thrive—physically, socially, and emotionally.

The Importance of Parks and Third Places in a Community

Not only do parks provide a place for exercise, relaxation, and socializing, but they also serve something known as a “third place.” A third place is somewhere that isn’t home or work, offering a welcoming environment for people to gather and connect. This could include anything from a local coffee shop, a library, or, in this case, a well-designed park or playground. In the highly digital 21st century, these places are crucial to help combat the ever-growing loneliness epidemic spreading across the country.

Additionally, experts have begun to warn of a “play deficit” plaguing modern children. For children in particular, parks and playgrounds are crucial to their development. Studies have shown that play is essential for kids’ physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. When children run, climb, and interact on the playground, they develop social skills, improve their motor abilities, and learn problem-solving techniques. Play also sparks creativity and imagination, which are key to a child’s emotional and mental well-being.

Parks aren’t just beneficial for kids, however. Even for adults, research indicates that green spaces provide a host of benefits for urban residents, both physical and psychological. In fact, there is even a significant correlation between the well-being of a city’s citizens and the number of parks accessible to them. Good parks allow everyone to enjoy publicly funded outdoor recreation regardless of socioeconomic status, age, race, or ability. Turns out, the most playful cities in the U.S. might also be the healthiest!

The Trust for Public Land

One of the foundations for our report was the ParkScore® Index from The Trust for Public Land (TPL). The TPL, founded in 1972, helps communities all across the United States to create parks, preserve open spaces, and protect lands that are important for both people and the environment. 

With a mission centered on health, equity, and justice, the Trust for Public Land is committed to ensuring that parks and public lands are accessible to everyone, especially in underserved areas. One way they practice park advocacy is through their annual ParkScore® index, a ranking system that evaluates the 100 most populous U.S. cities based on the quality of their park systems.

The index evaluates cities across five key categories:

Acreage:

This measures both the size of parks and how much of the city’s total area is made up of parkland. Cities with large parks and a higher percentage of land dedicated to parks score better.

Investment:

Cities that spend more on their park systems per resident score higher in this category.

Amenities:

The TPL awards more points to cities with a high number of six specific amenities (basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds, recreation and senior centers, restrooms, and splash pads) available.

Access:

This category looks at how easily residents can reach a park. Specifically, cities are scored based on the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park. A city that makes it easy to reach a playground or green space from any neighborhood will rank higher.

Equity:

Finally, equity ensures that parks are distributed fairly across all communities. The index evaluates park space availability in low-income and high-income neighborhoods and between neighborhoods of color and predominantly white neighborhoods. Cities that close the gap and offer equal access to parks for all residents get top marks in this category.

With a maximum of 500, each city’s total points normalized into a ParkScore® rating out of 100, providing a snapshot of how playful and park-friendly a city is.

Conclusion

The most playful cities in the United States are more than just playgrounds and fields; they’re cities that know the value of shared outdoor spaces. When cities invest in green spaces, they’re investing in the well-being of their residents, from children who benefit from the developmental boost of outdoor play to seniors who find joy and connection in a stroll through the park. If you're ready to help your community become one of the most playful in the country, it starts with the right playground equipment. Explore AAA State of Play’s range of safe, durable, and innovative playground options to create the perfect play space for your city, school, or neighborhood park!

Most Playful Cities in America

Playgrounds Per 10,000 People: 25 points total

1. Las Vegas, NV – 14.4
2. Virginia Beach, VA – 5.3
3. Detroit, MI – 4.8
4. Sacramento, CA – 4.4

The Trust for Public Land’s 2024 ParkScore®: 20 points total

This score is based on 14 measures encompassing five categories: acreage, investment, amenities, access, and equity.

1. Washington, DC – 84.4
2. Minneapolis, MN – 82.5
3. Seattle, WA – 77.4
4. San Francisco, CA – 76.5
5. Portland, OR – 74.0

Walk Score: 10 points total

1. San Francisco, CA – 88.7
2. New York, NY – 88.0
3. Boston, MA – 82.8
4. Chicago, IL – 77.2
5. Washington, D.C. - 76.7

Bike Score: 10 points total

1. Minneapolis, MN – 83.5
2. Portland, OR – 82.7
3. San Francisco, CA – 72.3
4. Chicago, IL – 72.2
5. Seattle, WA – 71.1

Percentage of City Area That Is Park Land: 10 points total

1. Washington, D.C. – 24%
2. New York, NY – 24%
3. San Francisco, CA – 20%
4. San Diego, CA – 20%
5. Albuquerque, NM – 19%

Basketball Hoops Per 10,000 People: 5 points total

1. Las Vegas, NV – 16.3
2. Minneapolis, MN – 9.1
3. Milwaukee, WI – 9.0
4. Jacksonville, FL – 7.6

Splash Pads Per 100,000 People: 5 points total

1. Boston, MA – 12.6
2. Chicago, IL – 8.9
3. Tulsa, OK – 8.4
4. New York, NY – 6.8
5. Philadelphia, PA – 6.7

Arcades Per 100,000 People: 5 points total

1. Los Angeles, CA – 42.4
2. Miami, FL – 29.1
3. Nashville, TN – 27.0
4. Denver, CO – 25.60
5. Indianapolis, IN – 22.5

Toy Stores Per 100,000 People: 5 points total

1. San Jose, CA – 90.5
2. Miami, FL – 84.9
3. Los Angeles, CA – 80.8
4. Denver, CO – 74.5
5. Chicago, IL – 55.2

Children’s Museums Per 100,000 People: 5 points total

1. San Jose, CA – 17.7
2. Nashville, TN – 6.9
3. Oklahoma City, OK – 3.8
4. Detroit, MI – 3.6
5. Miami, FL – 3.3

Note:

Arcades, toy stores, and children’s museum data are unavailable for Albuquerque, NM; Arlington, TX; Bakersfield, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; El Paso, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Fresno, CA; Mesa, AZ; Oakland, CA; Omaha, NE; Tucson, AZ; Tulsa, OK; and Wichita, KS.

Sources:

https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/

https://www.tpl.org/parkscore/rankings

https://blog.spilsbury.com/playful-cities