Access to indoor and/or outdoor recreation facilities and frequency of park visitation correlate with greater physical activity.¹“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed June 25, 2025.

People who use parks and open spaces are three times more likely to achieve recommended levels of physical activity than non-users.²Billie Giles-Corti, Melissa H Broomhall, Matthew Knuiman, Catherine Collins, Kate Douglas, Kevin Ng, et al., “Increasing Walking: How Important Is Distance to, Attractiveness, and Size of Public Open Space?” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28.2 (2005): 169-176.

Greenspace exposure corresponds with improved physical health, including decreases in stress, blood pressure, heart rate, and risk of chronic disease (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular heart disease).³Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett and Andy Jones, “The Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Greenspace Exposure and Health Outcomes,” Environmental Research 166 (2018): 628-637.⁴Jean C. Bikomeye, Sima Namin, Chima Anyanwu, Caitlin S. Rublee, Jamie Ferschinger ,Ken Leinbach, et al. “Resilience and Equity in a Time of Crises: Investing in Public Urban Greenspace Is Now More Essential than Ever in the US and Beyond,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18.16 (2021): 8420.

Eighty-six percent of adults in the U.S. have had a healthcare provider recommend methods for improving physical and/or mental health that do not involve medication.⁵“Doctor Recommended,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, May 2025.

Nearly 60 percent of adults in the U.S. have had their healthcare provider recommend moving their body daily.⁶“Doctor Recommended,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, May 2025.

Playgrounds designed with features for both adults and children could support physical activity by increasing visitation frequency and duration.⁷Deborah A. Cohen, Meghan Talarowski, Bing Han, Stephanie Williamson, Emily Galfond, Deborah R. Young, et al., “Playground Design: Contribution to Duration of Stay and Implications for Physical Activity,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20.5 (2023): 4661.

People who live near parks are more likely to use active transportation options such as walking, biking, and running than those who do not live near parks.⁸National Recreation and Park Association, 2024 Engagement with Parks Report.

Children with access to parks and facilities have shown decreased prevalence of obesity compared to children without access.⁹Dayna S. Alexander, Larissa R. Brunner Huber, Crystal R. Piper, and Amanda E. Tanner, “The Association between Recreational Parks, Facilities and Childhood Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study of the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health,” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 67.5 (2013): 427-431.

Time spent in nature positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being and alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and Alzheimer’s.¹⁰U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Urban Nature for Human Health and Well-Being: A Research Summary for Communicating the Health Benefits of Urban Trees and Green Space, February 2018.

Children lacking parks are more likely to be physically inactive, to have excessive screentime (greater than or equal to 4 hours daily), to obtain inadequate sleep, and to be obese, overweight, or diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).¹¹Aaron Reuben, George W. Rutherford, Jameze James, and Nooshin Razani, “Association of Neighborhood Parks with Child Health in the United States,” Preventive Medicine, 141 (2020): 106265.

Inadequate/insufficient physical activity leads to greater aggregate health care expenditures. Annual healthcare costs are significantly lower for adults who maintain moderate or high physical activity levels and adults who increase physical activity levels in early adulthood (in comparison to adults who were consistently inactive from adolescence into middle age).¹²Susan A. Carlson, Janet E. Fulton, Michael Pratt, Zhou Yang, and E. Kathleen Adams,  “Inadequate Physical Activity and Health Care Expenditures in the United States,” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 57.4 (2015): 315-323.¹³Diarmuid Coughlan, Pedro F. Saint-Maurice, Susan A. Carlson, Janet Fulton, and Charles E. Matthews, “Leisure Time Physical Activity throughout Adulthood Is Associated with Lower Medicare Costs: Evidence from the Linked NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort.” BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 7.1 (2021): e001038.

Access to parks and greenspace exposure correlates to reductions in stress and reduced symptoms of depression as well as improved attention and mood.¹⁴Meredith A. Barrett, Daphne Miller, Howard and Frumkin, “Parks and Health: Aligning Incentives to Create Innovations in Chronic Disease Prevention.” Preventing Chronic Disease 11 (2014): 130407.

Mental health is significantly related to residential distance from parks. People living more than 0.6 miles away from a green space have nearly 50% higher odds of experiencing stress than those living fewer than 0.2 miles from a green space.¹⁵James F. Sallis and Chad Spoon, Making the Case for Designing Active Cities (Active Living Research, February 2015).

Physician-diagnosed depression is 33% higher in the residential areas with the fewest green spaces compared to the neighborhoods with the most.¹⁶Roland Sturm and Deborah Cohen, “Proximity to Urban Parks and Mental Health,” The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics 17.1 (2014): 19.

In order to find joy, a plurality of U.S. adults in big cities wish they spent more time outdoors.¹⁷Will Klein, “Public Attitudes Towards Public Parks And Other Outdoor Public Spaces,” Trust for Public Land, Memorandum, May 21, 2025.

Parks promote positive mental health by providing access to nature and encouraging recreational and sporting activity.¹⁸Lisa Wood, Paula Hooper, Sarah Foster, and Fiona Bull, “Public Green Spaces and Positive Mental Health–Investigating the Relationship between Access, Quantity and Types of Parks and Mental Wellbeing,” Health & Place 48 (2017): 63-71.

Parks provide opportunities for physical activity and connecting with the outdoors. The resulting impacts are better mental health, improved physical health, and increased physical activity.¹⁹David J. Nowak and Gordon M. Heisler, Air Quality Effects of Urban Trees and Parks, Research Series (National Recreation and Park Association, 2010): 1-44.

Greenspace exposure in urban environments corresponds with lower mortality.²⁰Paul J. Villeneuve, Michael Jerrett, Jason G. Su, Richard T. Burnett, Hong Chen, Amanda J. Wheeler, et al., “A Cohort Study Relating Urban Green Space with Mortality in Ontario, Canada,” Environmental Research 115 (2012): 51-58.²¹Terry Hartig, Thomas Astell-Burt, Zara Bergsten, Jan Amcoff, Richard Mitchell, and Xiaoqi Feng, “Associations between Greenspace and Mortality Vary Across Contexts of Community Change: A Longitudinal Ecological Study,” Journal of Epidemiol Community Health 74.6 (2020): 534-540.

Outdoor green environments enable physical distancing that reduces the risk of airborne viral infections (e.g., COVID-19) and increases resilience to global climate change.²²Jean C. Bikomeye, Sima Namin, Chima Anyanwu, Caitlin S. Rublee, Jamie Ferschinger, Ken Leinbach, et al., “Resilience and Equity in a Time of Crises: Investing in Public Urban Greenspace Is Now More Essential than Ever in the US and Beyond,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18.16 (2021): 8420.

Most park and recreation agencies offer in-person (five in six agencies) and virtual (nearly three in four agencies) fitness and exercise programs.²³National Recreation and Park Association. Parks and Recreation: Advancing Community Health and Well-Being (2021).

In Los Angeles, park use and physical activity have been shown to be directly attributable to the number of scheduled organized activities.²⁴Deborah A. Cohen, Daniela Golinelli, Stephanie Williamson, Amber Sehgal, Terry Marsh, and Thomas L. McKenzie, “Effects of Park Improvements on Park Use and Physical Activity,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 37.6 (December 2009): 475–80.

Park and recreation agencies deliver out-of-school time programs to children of all ages.²⁵National Recreation and Park Association, NRPA Agency Performance Review (2025).

Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults say it is important for their local park and recreation agency to offer before-/after-school childcare and summer camps for youth.²⁶National Recreation and Park Association, 2022 Engagement with Parks Report.

Availability of nearby parks correlates with higher participation in active sports.²⁷National Recreation and Park Association, 2018 NRPA Out-of-School Time Report.

Ninety-eight percent of U.S. adults agree that it is important to provide youth with equitable access to sports opportunities.²⁸“Providing Youth Sports Opportunities,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, March 2022.

Seventy-eight percent of U.S. adults believe that it is important that youth sports providers offer all children and young adults opportunities to learn about and play sports regardless of their skill or ability to pay.²⁹“No-Limits Youth Sports Opportunities,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association.

Youth who spend more time in nature tend to place a higher value on nature and have greater pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors (PEAB).³⁰Edmond P. Bowers, Lincoln R. Larson, and Benjamin J. Parry, “Nature as an Ecological Asset for Positive Youth Development: Empirical Evidence From Rural Communities,” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (2021): 2159.³¹Gary W. Evans, Siegmar Otto, and Florian G. Kaiser, “Childhood Origins of Young Adult Environmental Behavior,” Psychological Science 29.5 (2018): 679-687.

Ninety-four percent of U.S. adults agree that it is important for children and young adults to learn about the environment and ways they can help be good environmental stewards.³²“Cultivating Environmental Stewardship,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association.

Self-reported time in nature correlates with overall positive youth development and each of the individual “Cs” of positive youth development: competence, connection, confidence, character, and caring.³³Nicole V. DeVille, Linda Powers Tomasso, Olivia P. Stoddard, Grete E. Wilt, Teresa H. Horton, Kathleen L. Wolf, et al., “Time Spent in Nature Is Associated with Increased Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18.14 (2021): 7498.

The positive effects of nature exposure for children include improved cognitive functioning (including increased concentration, greater attention capacities and higher academic performance), better motor coordination, reduced stress levels, increased social interaction with adults and other children, and improved social skills.³⁴Susan Strife and Liam Downey, “Childhood Development and Access to Nature: A New Direction for Environmental Inequality Research,” Organization & Environment 22.1 (2009): 99-122.

Nature play is an important component of the development of resilience in early childhood.³⁵Thomas Beery, “Exploring Access to Nature Play in Urban Parks: Resilience, Sustainability, and Early Childhood,” Sustainability 12.12 (2020): 4894.³⁶Nooshin Razani, Kian Niknam, Nancy M. Wells, Doug Thompson, Nancy K. Hills, Gail Kennedy, et al., “Clinic and Park Partnerships for Childhood Resilience: A Prospective Study of Park Prescriptions,” Health & Place 57 (2019): 179-185.

Participating in outdoor recreation bolsters adolescent resilience to stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and improves overall adolescent mental health.³⁷S. Brent Jackson, Kathryn T. Stevenson, Lincoln R. Larson, M. Nils Peterson, and Erin Seekamp, “Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18.5 (March 3, 2021): 2506.

Local parks and recreation agencies in the United States generated more than $200 billion in economic activity and supported more than 1.1 million jobs in 2021.³⁸National Recreation and Park Association, The Economic Impact of Parks: An Examination of the Fiscal Effects of Operations and Capital Spending by Local Park and Recreation Agencies on the U.S. Economy, 2023. In California alone, local parks and recreation agencies generated more than $20 billion in economic activity and supported more than 105,000 jobs that same year.³⁹National Recreation and Park Association, The Economic Impact of Parks: An Examination of the Fiscal Effects of Operations and Capital Spending by Local Park and Recreation Agencies on the U.S. Economy, 2023.

The outdoor recreation economy, which includes local parks and recreation, accounted for $373.3 billion of 2020 U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or 1.8% of the U.S. economy.⁴⁰“Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2020,” U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2021.

The more than 10,000 local park and recreation agencies across the United States employ more than 175,000 full-time and hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal park and recreation professionals.⁴¹U.S. Census Bureau, “Local Government Employment and Payroll Data: U.S. and States: 2017 – 2024,” Public Sector, PUB Public Sector Annual Surveys and Census of Governments, Table GS00EP03, 2025), accessed on June 25, 2025.

Systematic review shows economic benefits exceed the cost for park, trail, and greenway infrastructure interventions to increase physical activity and use.⁴²“Physical Activity: Park, Trail, and Greenway Infrastructure Interventions when Combined with Additional Interventions,” Community Preventive Services Task Force, 2021, accessed on June 25, 2025.

Nearly sixty-two percent of corporate executives indicate that quality-of-life is an important factor when they consider making plans to expand facilities or relocate.⁴³Andy Greiner, “39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection,” Area Development, accessed on June 25, 2025.

Investments in improving a community’s quality of life can create a virtuous cycle: high-quality places attract workers and employers, which in turn attract more investments and jobs.⁴⁴The George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development, National Recreation and Park Association, May 2018.

Research and development (R&D) facilities, technology companies, and corporate headquarters are more likely to prioritize quality-of-life and cultural amenities when making site-location decisions.⁴⁵John L. Crompton and Sarah Nicholls, “Impact on Property Values of Distance to Parks and Open Spaces: An Update of U.S. Studies in the New Millennium,” Journal of Leisure Research 51:2 (2020): 127-146.

Among U.S. adults, 86% say that proximity to parks and recreation facilities is an important factor in deciding where to live.⁴⁶National Recreation and Park Association, 2024 Engagement with Parks Report.

A review of 33 studies suggests a home value premium of 8 to 10% for properties adjacent to a passive park.⁴⁷John L. Crompton and Sarah Nicholls, “Impact on Property Values of Distance to Parks and Open Spaces: An Update of U.S. Studies in the New Millennium,” Journal of Leisure Research 51:2 (2020): 127-146.

Ninety-six percent of U.S. adults agree there are important benefits that teenagers and young adults gain from their first jobs and volunteer opportunities.⁴⁸“The Important Benefits of a First Job,” National Recreation and Park Association, published February 2022.

Ninety percent of U.S. adults want their local park and recreation agency to provide job and volunteer opportunities for youth and young adults.⁴⁹“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed on June 25, 2025.

The top reason people cite for using parks and recreation facilities is to be with family or friends.⁵⁰National Recreation and Park Association, 2024 Engagement with Parks Report.

Eighty-eight percent of U.S. adults agree that parks and recreation provide good opportunities to interact with nature and the outdoors.⁵¹National Recreation and Park Association, 2019 Engagement with Parks Report.

Ninety-one percent of U.S. adults seek park-centered entertainment and social events that allow them to mix and mingle with others.⁵²“Parks Come Alive at Night,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, September 2019.

Fifty-three percent of U.S. adults in big cities have had at least one positive conversation in a park with somebody of a different social or economic background.⁵³Will Klein, “Public Attitudes Towards Public Parks And Other Outdoor Public Spaces,” Trust for Public Land, Memorandum, May 21, 2025.

Walking, park prescriptions, community gardening, and farmers’ market vouchers may promote nature contact, strengthen social structures, and improve longer term mental and physical health by activating intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental processes.⁵⁴M. A. Leavell, J. A. Leiferman, M. Gascon, F. Braddick, J. C. Gonzalez, J. S. Litt, “Nature-Based Social Prescribing in Urban Settings to Improve Social Connectedness and Mental Well-Being: A Review,” Current Environmental Health Reports 6.4 (2019): 297-308.

High-quality parks and built environment features help to foster positive social interactions and increase social capital within historically marginalized communities.⁵⁵“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed on June 25, 2025.

In the U.S., more than 276 million people visited a local park or recreation facility at least once during the past year.⁵⁶National Recreation and Park Association, 2024 Engagement with Parks Report.

Ninety-one percent of U.S. adults say that parks and recreation are an important local government service.⁵⁷National Recreation and Park Association, 2024 Engagement with Parks Report.

Eighty-one percent of U.S. adults want parks and recreation to ensure inclusivity through policies and practices. Inclusive practices and policies are those that take into account people of all mental and physical abilities, as well as ethnic, religious, racial, cultural or socio-economic backgrounds, or orientations.⁵⁸“Inclusive Policies and Practices,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, June 2022.

Seventy-two percent of U.S. adults are more likely to vote for politicians (e.g., mayor, county executive, or council member) who make park and recreation funding a priority. This preference is robust across ages, income levels, and political affiliation.⁵⁹National Recreation and Park Association, 2020 Engagement with Parks Report.

Nearly 90% of U.S. adults agree that it is important for local, state, and federal governments to fund local park and recreation agencies sufficiently in order to ensure every member of the community has equitable access to amenities, infrastructure, and programming.⁶⁰“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed on June 25, 2025.

Sixty-six percent of U.S. adults say that they support their local government dedicating revenues, taxes, and levies that specifically target park and recreation operations or expansion projects.⁶¹“Strong Support for Park and Recreation Funding,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, October 2020.

Seventy-seven percent of adults in the U.S. agree that their park and recreation agency should invest in preparing for, weathering, or recovering quickly from natural disasters.⁶²“Investing in Environmental Resiliency,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, April 2025.

Forty percent of park and recreation agencies offer disaster and emergency relief.⁶³National Recreation and Park Association. Parks and Recreation: Advancing Community Health and Well-Being, 2021.

Three in five park and recreation agencies provided essential, emergency services in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in October 2020, including:⁶⁴“Conservation Efforts at Any Age,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, April 2021.

• supporting food to vulnerable youth, older adults, and families
• opening agency facilities to serve as virtual learning centers
• providing facilities to serve as vaccination and testing centers
• transforming recreation centers to serve as emergency shelters

Parks lower ground temperatures with tree canopy, clean water, reduce flooding, and contribute to healthier air.⁶⁵Barton Robison and Beth Jacob, Greener Parks for Health: Green Infrastructure as a Strategy for Improving Equity and Community Well-Being: Communications Toolkit, National Recreation and Park Association and Willamette Partnership, 2021.

Trees and vegetation in parks help reduce air pollution directly by removing pollutants and reducing air temperature.⁶⁶David J. Nowak and Gordon M. Heisler, Air Quality Effects of Urban Trees and Parks, Research Series (National Recreation and Park Association, 2010): 1-44.

Urban parks can improve the environment, enhance storm water management, reduce traffic noise, and increase biodiversity.⁶⁷Tiziano Tempesta, “Benefits and Costs of Urban Parks: A Review,” Aestimum (2015): 127-143.

Ninety-three percent of U.S. adults agree that it is critical that their local government develops local parks, trails, and greenspaces near bodies of water for the purpose of protecting natural resources in their community.⁶⁸“Parks Come Alive at Night,” Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, September 2019.

Eighty-six percent of U.S. adults support their local park and recreation agency’s environmental initiatives, including wildlife conservation, educating the public on environmental issues, natural resource management, mitigating the impacts from climate change, nurturing pollinator habitats, and managing land for flood mitigation.⁶⁹“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed on June 25, 2025.

Eighty-nine percent of U.S. adults want their local park and recreation agency to reduce the impact of extreme temperatures through the planting of trees and other vegetation.⁷⁰“Parks and Recreation Is Essential,” National Recreation and Park Association, accessed on June 25, 2025.