May 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18

RESEARCH
The 2023 NRPA Agency
Performance Review Report
By Melissa May
D
etermining where your agency falls amongst its peers can
assist in guiding the direction your agency takes for the future.
The 2023 NRPA Agency Performance Review (nrpa.org/
APR) summarizes key findings of more than 1,000 unique
park and recreation agencies across the United States on varying topics
- from facility type to policies. The findings within the review are compiled
using agency-submitted data contributed to NRPA Park Metrics
(nrpa.org/ParkMetrics), the benchmarking resource that assists park and
recreation professionals in the effective management and planning of their
operating resources and capital facilities. The combination of insights from
this report and NRPA Park Metrics, along with information about your
community's specific needs and experiences, will help identify the optimal
mix of facilities and programming being delivered by you and your peers.
The 2023 NRPA Agency Performance
Review does not present park
and recreation " standards, " nor
do the benchmarks represent any
standards against which every individual
park and recreation agency
should measure itself. The reason
for this is simple: there is not one
single set of standards for parks
and recreation because different
agencies serve different communities
that have unique needs, desires
and challenges. Throughout the
report, data are presented on the
" typical " agency, which represents
the statistical median of the data.
Additional cross-tabulations by jurisdiction
population or population
density also are presented within
the report and more comprehensive
cross-tabulations, including budget
size, region, jurisdiction type and
more, are available as interactive
tables (nrpa.org/ParkMetrics).
Key findings from the 2023 NRPA
Agency Performance Review include:
18 Parks & Recreation | MAY 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
Park Facilities
* There is typically one park for
every 2,287 residents.
* The typical park and recreation
agency has 10.8 acres of parkland
for every 1,000 residents in the
jurisdiction.
* An overwhelming majority of
park
and
recreation
agencies
have playgrounds (95 percent)
and basketball courts (86 percent)
in their portfolio of assets.
* The typical park and recreation
agency manages or maintains 15
miles of trails for walking, hiking,
running and/or biking.
* A majority of agencies
community
centers and recreation
centers; 2 in 5 agencies offer
senior centers.
Programming
* Key programming activities
include themed special events,
social recreation events, team
sports, fitness enhancement classes,
and health and wellness education.
* Eighty-two percent of agencies
offer summer camp for their
communities' younger residents.
Responsibilities of Park and
Recreation Agencies
* Top roles include operating and
maintaining parks, trails and indoor
facilities; providing recreation
programming and services;
and conducting jurisdiction-wide
special events.
* Operating, maintaining or contracting
special purpose parks, pools
and racquet sports areas lead the
list of other agency responsibilities.
Staffing
* The typical park and recreation
agency has a payroll of 51.5 fulltime
equivalent staff (FTEs).
offer
* The typical park and recreation
agency has 8.9 FTEs on staff
for each 10,000 residents in the
jurisdiction served by the agency.
* Operations
and
maintenance,
programming and administration
are the primary responsibilities
of park and recreation workers.
Budget
* The typical park and recreation
http://www.nrpa.org/APR http://www.nrpa.org/APR http://www.nrpa.org/ParkMetrics http://www.nrpa.org/ParkMetrics
May 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023 - Parks & Recreation
