July 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 18

RESEARCH
Data Reveals Elevated Need
for Parks and Recreation
By Kevin Roth

he coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put a spotlight on the
essential nature of parks and recreation. Throughout our nation,
parks, trails and other open space facilities were often the remaining available recreation opportunity as the health crisis took
hold. As a result, most communities saw a surge in usage at their parks.
And, it is little wonder as to why: 5 in 6 U.S. adults in May's NRPA Park
Pulse poll (nrpa.org/ParkPulse) said that exercising at their local park is
essential to maintaining their mental and physical health.
Many park users over the past few
months have included these amenities as part of their day-to-day life. In
fact, 86 percent of people surveyed
for the 2019 Engagement with Parks
Report (nrpa.org/Engagement) noted
that they visit their local parks and
recreation facilities. But other users
are new park visitors, and after this
introduction (or even reintroduction) to their local parks, trails and
open space, many have started a new
healthy habit that will continue long
after the pandemic ends.
Every person deserves access to
high-quality, well-maintained parks
and recreation options. Yet, this
health crisis has identified those

A Park Pulse poll reveals 5 in 6
U.S. adults say that exercising at
their local park is essential to their
mental and physical health.

Parks & Recreation

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busy park areas where we have not
achieved this vital goal. But how
does one identify the right amount
of park and recreation amenities?
One way is to use data to make
the case for greater park and recreation resources. More specifically, NRPA Park Metrics (nrpa.org/
Metrics) provides a guide to reach
this goal.
NRPA Park Metrics is the most
comprehensive source of data
standards and insights for park and
recreation agencies. Park and recreation professionals and advocates
use this benchmark data to gain more
funding support, improve operations
and better serve their communities.
If you have not used Park Metrics recently, the first place to start
is the 2020 NRPA Agency Performance Review (nrpa.org/APR).
This report, published in May and
based on the data from 1,053 agencies across the United States, highlights 24 of the most critical park
and recreation metrics collected
from the NRPA Park Metrics database. It finds that the " typical "
park and recreation agency:
* Has 9.9 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents
* Has 8.1 full-time equivalents

(FTEs) on staff for every 10,000
residents
* Has annual operating expenses
of $81.19 on a per capita basis
* Recovers 25.9 percent of its operating expenditures from non-tax
revenues
But no two park and recreation
agencies are the same. So, the medians presented above are not the guidelines that agencies should necessarily
follow. Instead, park and recreation
professionals should seek benchmarks
that represent their specific situation.
Park Metrics' interactive reporting tools allow you to build a customized benchmark report based
on a peer group you define. Simply
go into NRPA Park Metrics to filter
the data by agency type, size and
geographic region. You can enhance this experience even further
by entering your agency's data into
NRPA Park Metrics, after which
you can generate reports that compare your agency's data with the
critical metrics of peer agencies
throughout the United States.
Has your agency updated its
Park Metrics profile recently? If
not, the typical park and recreation professional can enter their
agency's Park Metrics data in fewer than 30 minutes.
NRPA Park Metrics and the 2020
Agency Performance Review provide
park and recreation professionals
and advocates the data tools they
need to ensure their residents have
the amenities and services they
deserve. Contact Melissa May
(mmay@nrpa.org) for assistance in
entering your agency's data or taking full advantage of the reporting
tools.
Kevin Roth is Vice President of Research,
Evaluation and Technology at NRPA
(kroth@nrpa.org).

July 2020 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020 - Parks & Recreation