With summer fast approaching, we're already clocking plenty of quality time at our neighborhood parks. But do you ever wonder how your local park system compares to other cities?

To answer this question, The Trust for Public Land created the ParkScore® Index, the number one tool to measure how well the largest U.S. cities are meeting the need for parks.

Photo credit: Anne Nelson

This year, ParkScore expands its count to the 60 largest U.S. cities (up from 50 in 2013). Minneapolis took top honors for the second year in a row, earning a perfect “5-park bench” rating—the only city park system to earn the coveted 5 bench score. New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Portland (unseating Sacramento) rounded out the top five.

Denver made the biggest upward move in ParkScore rating history, climbing ten places to tie for 7th. For 2014, ParkScore counted the city’s “Learning Landscapes” school playgrounds as park space, because they are open for public use in evenings and on weekends when school is not in session. These “shared use” arrangements are a relatively easy way for cities to increase park and playground access, especially in fully developed urban areas.

Sacramento was the only city to lose its top-five ranking in 2014, as strong population growth strained its park system and limited access to popular playgrounds. The California capital city earned four park benches, dropping to seventh place in 2014, compared to third last year. Fresno repeated as ParkScore’s last place finisher, earning one park bench.

The 10 highest-ranking city park systems in the United States are:

1. Minneapolis - 5.0 park benches

2. New York - 4.5 park benches

3. Boston (tie) - 4.0 park benches

3. Portland (tie) - 4.0 park benches

3. San Francisco (tie) - 4.0 park benches

6. Washington, DC - 4.0 park benches

7. Denver (tie) - 4.0 park benches

7. Sacramento (tie) - 4.0 park benches

9. San Diego - 4.0 park benches

10. Virginia Beach (tie) - 4.0 park benches

10. Aurora, CO (tie) - 4.0 park benches - DEBUT CITY

The 10 lowest-ranking city park systems are:

51. Jacksonville - 2.0 park benches

52. Santa Ana - 1.5 park benches DEBUT CITY

53. San Antonio (tie) - 1.5 park benches

53. Memphis (tie) - 1.5 park benches

55. Oklahoma City - 1.5 park benches

56. Mesa, AZ - 1.5 park benches

57. Charlotte - 1.0 park benches

58. Indianapolis (tie) - 1.0 park benches

58. Louisville (tie) - 1.0 park benches

60. Fresno - 1.0 park benches

For more information about ParkScore, visit parkscore.tpl.org and join the discussion on Twitter @TPL_org #ParkScore.