Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Where in the U.S. can you find the most pooch-friendly green spaces?
LawnStarter sniffed out 2023’s Best Dog Park Cities to mark July as National Lost Pet Prevention Month (in case Rover runs away from the pack — or the park).
We compared 98 of the biggest U.S. cities based on Access, Quality, and Climate. More specifically, we factored in the number of dog parks per 100,000 two-legged residents, visitor ratings, and historical weather data, among eight total metrics.
1. Boise, ID
Overall Score: 67.95
Access Rank: 1
Quality Rank: 6
Climate Rank: 37
2. San Francisco, CA
Overall Score: 57.87
Access Rank: 5
Quality Rank: 10
Climate Rank: 21
3. Henderson, NV
Overall Score: 56.64
Access Rank: 4
Quality Rank: 28
Climate Rank: 9
4. Tampa, FL
Overall Score: 53.59
Access Rank: 7
Quality Rank: 5
Climate Rank: 35
5. Arlington, VA
Overall Score: 52.44
Access Rank: 8
Quality Rank: 4
Climate Rank: 65
6. New York, NY
Overall Score: 51.02
Access Rank: 34
Quality Rank: 1
Climate Rank: 77
7. Sacramento, CA
Overall Score: 47.73
Access Rank: 6
Quality Rank: 57
Climate Rank: 20
8. Las Vegas, NV
Overall Score: 46.89
Access Rank: 11
Quality Rank: 51
Climate Rank: 9
9. Portland, OR
Overall Score: 46.25
Access Rank: 2
Quality Rank: 83
Climate Rank: 55
10. Norfolk, VA
Overall Score: 44.80
Access Rank: 3
Quality Rank: 89
Climate Rank: 42
11. Albuquerque, NM
Overall Score: 43.89
Access Rank: 15
Quality Rank: 22
Climate Rank: 29
12. Chula Vista, CA
Overall Score: 40.92
Access Rank: 12
Quality Rank: 76
Climate Rank: 1
13. Colorado Springs, CO
Overall Score: 40.84
Access Rank: 39
Quality Rank: 11
Climate Rank: 32
14. Lexington, KY
Overall Score: 40.56
Access Rank: 24
Quality Rank: 8
Climate Rank: 82
15. Washington, D.C.
Overall Score: 39.73
Access Rank: 14
Quality Rank: 27
Climate Rank: 65
Methodology
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best Dog Park Cities. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into three categories: Access, Quality, and Climate. The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.
For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table. We eliminated 102 cities lacking sufficient data in a single category, resulting in a final sample size of 98 cities.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” (No. 200).
