Irvine has Southern California’s highest-rated big city park system, while Los Angeles fell to its lowest-ever national ranking, according to a report released Tuesday evening by the Trust for Public Land.
The nonprofit organization’s 2026 ParkScore index ranked Irvine second nationally among the 100 most populous U.S. cities, behind only Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles tied for 93rd place, marking the city’s seventh consecutive annual decline in the rankings.
Other Southern California cities included on the list were Santa Clarita at No. 42, Long Beach at No. 54, Santa Ana at No. 75, Anaheim at No. 84 and Riverside at No. 85.
According to the report, 94% of Irvine residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, well above the national average of 76%. In Los Angeles, 61.7% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
The report also found Irvine spends $697 per resident on parks, the highest level among all ParkScore cities nationwide. Los Angeles spends $125 per resident, below several other Southern California cities.
Trust for Public Land said Los Angeles’ declining rankings reflected stagnant performance in park access, park investment and other key metrics.
The organization previously criticized Los Angeles’ approach to park management in a separate report, saying the city suffered from “a century of leadership that failed to prioritize adequate or equitable park investments.”
Alongside the rankings, the organization released an economic analysis concluding that city parks generate approximately $3 in benefits for every $1 invested through improved health, flood control savings and other public benefits.
“Americans from all walks of life love their local parks, and they want leaders to invest in them,” Trust for Public Land President and CEO Carrie Besnette Hauser said in a statement.
The top 10 ParkScore rankings nationally were Washington D.C., Irvine, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Arlington, Virginia, Seattle, Portland and Chicago.
The rankings can be found at tpl.org/parkscore.