A heat table showing U.S. cities with the highest and lowest ParkScore in 2026. D.C. earned 85 points out of 100 for the overall quality of its parks system, the highest in the analysis, followed by Irvine, Calif., Minneapolis and St. Paul. Durham, N.C., had the lowest overall score, at 36, followed by Glendale, Ariz., and Lubbock, Texas. Cities have scores across five metrics, including park access, acreage, amenities, equity and investment.