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Madison, WI

18
How we calculate the Madison ParkScore® Ranking

The ranking for Madison is based on how it compares nationally on five characteristics of an excellent park system: acreage, access, investment, amenities, and equity.

Download Madison’s ParkScore Report

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Acreage
53 pts
Access
93 pts
Investment
36 pts
Amenities
71 pts
Equity
68 pts
Madison, Wisconsin city image
95% of Madison residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Median City, 100 most populous U.S. cities: 74%
Median City, all urban cities and towns in U.S.: 55%

We’re working to ensure that every person, in every neighborhood, in every city across America has a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home.

See Our Work in Wisconsin
Madison residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park
The average distance most people are willing to walk to reach a destination is 10-minutes or roughly half a mile. The 10-minute walk standard helps us examine the availability of parks close to home.
By Age (%)
Children (0 - 19)
95
Adults (20 - 64)
95
Seniors (65+)
94
By Income (%)
High Income
95
Middle Income
94
Low Income
96
By Race/Ethnicity (%)
Native American*
95
Asian*
95
Black*
94
Hispanic
95
Pacific Islander*
91
White*
95
2 or More Races*
95
Other*
95
*Excludes those who report Hispanic origin (which is captured separately from race by the U.S. Census).
Comparing amount of park space between neighborhoods by race/ethnicity
Across the country, parks located in neighborhoods with a majority of residents of color are half the size of parks in predominantly white neighborhoods yet serve five times more people per acre, according to TPL park equity data. In Madison, residents in neighborhoods of color* have access to 39% more park space per person than the city’s average neighborhood and 4% more than those in white neighborhoods. Additionally, we compared park space in the city’s average neighborhood with others by specific race and ethnicity:
*Neighborhoods of color are defined as those in Madison with the highest concentrations of people who identify as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, multiple races, or other communities of color (more information).
Comparing amount of park space between neighborhoods by income
Across the country, parks serving low-income households are four times smaller yet serve four times more people per acre than parks serving high-income households, according to TPL park equity data. In Madison, residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 51% less park space per person than those in the average Madison neighborhood and 69% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.
11% of Madison’s land is used for parks and recreation.
National median 15%
How do park amenities measure up?
Parks help foster healthy, inclusive, and flourishing communities—the cities with the highest ParkScore ratings are healthier places to live. These six amenities reflect activities popular among a diverse selection of user groups (kids, teenagers, adults, seniors). For each amenity, Madison is awarded points based on their abundance relative to the other 99 cities.
Basketball Hoops
100/100pts
9.7 per 10,000 people
Playgrounds
100/100pts
7.1 per 10,000 people
Rec & Senior Centers
9/100pts
0.3 per 20,000 people
Dog Parks
100/100pts
4.1 per 100,000 people
Bathrooms
83/100pts
2.7 per 10,000 people
Splashpads
34/100pts
1.1 per 100,000 people
How much is Madison investing in parks?
We compared Madison with the other 100 most populous cities in the nation on total park investment per person, aggregating all public and private spending for any publicly accessible park in the city. Visit our City Park Facts database to see how the other big cities stack up.
Park Investment (Three-Year Average)
  • City agency
    $109 (97%)
  • Other public agencies
    $0.72 (1%)
  • Private organizations
    $1.33 (1%)
  • Monetized volunteer hours
    $1.75 (2%)
$112
Total Spending Per Capita
  • National benchmark: Relative park spending by organization type
  • Average among 100 most populous cities
  • City agency: 86%
  • Other public agencies: 7%
  • Private organizations: 5%
  • Monetized volunteer hours: 2%
  • Total per capita spending: $124 per person
See the map
Where are the parks most needed?
Madison has 302 parks.

Trust for Public Land has mapped park access for every urban area in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Our ParkServe® mapping platform helps you pinpoint park investments to address park need, climate, equity, and health.

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Make the Commitment
Pledge to make parks a priority!
Everyone should have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home. Our 10-Minute Walk™ Program calls on mayors to demonstrate their commitment to parks and adopt long-term, system-wide strategies that accelerate the creation of parks.
10-minute walk link Visit the 10-Minute Walk Program website to learn how your city can get involved.
Explore the Data
Trust for Public Land maintains the country’s most comprehensive databases on city parks. Check them out to learn more.
  • Park Data Downloads

    Explore our comprehensive ParkServe® dataset which provides park data for over 15,000 cities and towns in the U.S., including park polygons, service areas, priority areas, trails, and playgrounds. Download historic ParkScore® rankings, which compare park systems across the 100 most-populated cities based on access, investment, amenities, acreage, and equity. The Trust for Public Land also offers data tables for city parks, including information on amenities, acreage, staffing, spending, and volunteers.

    Explore Our Downloads

  • ParkScore Rankings

    The ParkScore rating for a city is determined by assigning points across five categories (acreage, investment, amenities, access, and equity) based on how the city compares to the 100 largest U.S. cities. Points are awarded on a relative basis within each category, and a city’s total points, out of a maximum of 500, are normalized to a ParkScore rating of up to 100.

    View 2023 and Historic Data

  • City Park Facts

    Each year, Trust for Public Land compiles data on parks across the nation’s 100 most populous cities, which represent about 20% of the U.S. population. This dataset aggregates park inventories – investment, acreage, and amenities – across all public and private organizations in each city, making it the most comprehensive dataset of its kind. Generate custom datasets using our interactive dashboards, or download the source Excel files.

    Use Our Datasets

  • Build Your Ranking

    This tool allows cities to improve their park systems by exploring and weighting various scenarios related to park access, investment, acreage, amenities, and equity.

    Explore the Custom Rank Application
ParkServe
ParkServe

Our data reveals park access levels for every urban city and town across the United States and Puerto Rico. This powerful tool provides communities with information they need to help close the park equity gap. Search for another community here.