Dog Park Capitals of America: Which Cities Have the Most?
Americans love their dogs, but some cities give them a lot more room to run than others. We analyzed our index of 2,221 off-leash dog parks across 48 states and 938 cities to find the true dog park capitals of the United States, by total parks, by parks per resident, and by visitor rating.
The headline finding: when you adjust for population, the usual big-city suspects don’t win. Tampa, Florida tops the country with 5.71 dog parks per 100,000 residents, more than New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, and it’s also the highest-rated big city in America for dog parks.
Media & bloggers: you’re welcome to cite these findings. Please credit “DogParksLocal” with a link to this page (https://dogparkslocal.com/dog-park-capitals/). A full city-level breakdown is available on request.
Most dog parks per resident (major U.S. cities)
The fairest way to rank cities is by parks per capita. Among major U.S. cities (population ~190k+, with at least 6 parks in our index), here’s where a dog has the best odds of finding a park nearby:
| Rank | City | Dog parks per 100k residents | Total parks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa, FL | 5.71 | 22 |
| 2 | Orlando, FL | 5.20 | 16 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | 4.60 | 30 |
| 4 | Salt Lake City, UT | 4.51 | 9 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh, PA | 4.29 | 13 |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | 4.27 | 15 |
| 7 | Madison, WI | 4.08 | 11 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | 3.97 | 9 |
| 9 | Albuquerque, NM | 3.72 | 21 |
| 10 | Washington, DC | 3.63 | 25 |
| 11 | Sacramento, CA | 3.43 | 18 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | 3.26 | 14 |
Population figures: U.S. Census Bureau (2020).
Most dog parks overall (by city)
By raw count, the biggest cities lead, but Portland punches far above its size at #2:
| Rank | City | Total dog parks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 36 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | 30 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | 27 |
| 4 | Houston, TX | 26 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | 25 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | 23 |
| 7 | Tampa, FL | 22 |
| 8 | Albuquerque, NM | 21 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | 20 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | 19 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | 18 |
| 11 | Sacramento, CA | 18 |
| 13 | San Antonio, TX | 17 |
| 13 | Jersey City, NJ | 17 |
| 15 | San Jose, CA | 16 |
Highest-rated dog park cities
Quantity isn’t everything. Ranked by average Google rating across all parks in a city (minimum 6 rated parks), these cities have the best-loved dog parks:
| Rank | City | Average rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville, TN | 4.58 ★ |
| 2 | Milwaukee, WI | 4.51 ★ |
| 2 | Lincoln, NE | 4.51 ★ |
| 2 | Brooklyn, NY | 4.51 ★ |
| 5 | Madison, WI | 4.50 ★ |
| 5 | Henderson, NV | 4.50 ★ |
| 5 | Knoxville, TN | 4.50 ★ |
| 5 | Tampa, FL | 4.50 ★ |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | 4.49 ★ |
| 10 | Bakersfield, CA | 4.48 ★ |
Dog parks by state
California leads the nation, with Texas and Florida close behind:
| Rank | State | Total dog parks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 359 |
| 2 | Texas | 194 |
| 3 | Florida | 179 |
| 4 | Colorado | 87 |
| 5 | Arizona | 75 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 75 |
| 7 | Ohio | 68 |
| 8 | New York | 60 |
| 9 | Virginia | 58 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 54 |
Methodology
This study is based on DogParksLocal’s directory of 2,221 off-leash dog parks across 48 states and 938 cities, compiled from public listing data and verified locations. “Parks per 100k residents” uses 2020 U.S. Census population figures and is calculated for major cities (roughly 190,000+ residents) with at least 6 parks in our index, to keep the comparison meaningful. Ratings reflect aggregated public review scores at the time of analysis. Coverage varies by region, so totals reflect parks in our index rather than a complete national census.
Have a question about the data, or want a breakdown for a specific city or state? Get in touch, we’re happy to help reporters and writers.