May 2024 - Parks & Recreation - 16

RESEARCH
The 2024 NRPA Agency Performance
Review Report
By Melissa May
E
ach spring, NRPA releases the NRPA Agency Performance Review
(nrpa.org/APR), an annual report that summarizes key findings
from nearly 1,000 unique park and recreation agencies across
the United States on topics varying from facilities to staffing,
budgets, programming and policies. The findings within the review are
compiled using agency-submitted data contributed to NRPA Park Metrics
(nrpa.org/Metrics) - a benchmarking resource consisting of a comprehensive
survey and a suite of reporting tools available for free to park and
recreation professionals and advocates. The combination of insights from
this report and NRPA Park Metrics, along with information about a community's
specific needs and experiences, will assist in determining the optimal
mix of offerings by local park and recreation agencies.
Park Facilities
Residents per park - Typically, there
is one park for every 2,386 residents.
Acres of parkland per 1,000
residents - The typical park and
recreation agency has 10.6 acres of
parkland for every 1,000 residents
in the jurisdiction.
Outdoor park and recreation facilities:
prevalence and population
per facility - An overwhelming
majority of park and recreation
agencies
percent),
have playgrounds
diamond
fields
Throughout
the 2024 NRPA
Agency Performance Review, data are
presented on the " typical " agency,
which represents the statistical
median of the data. Additional
cross-tabulations - including budget
size, region, jurisdiction type
and more - are available as interactive
tables.
Key findings from the 2024 NRPA
Agency Performance Review include:
16 Parks & Recreation | MAY 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
(93
(85
percent) and basketball courts (84
percent) in their portfolio of assets.
Miles of trails - The typical
agency
park
and
recreation
manages or maintains 16 miles of
trails for walking, hiking, running
and/or biking.
Indoor park and recreation facilities:
prevalence and population
per facility - A majority of
agencies offer community centers
and recreation centers; two in five
agencies offer senior centers and
performance amphitheaters.
Programming
Programming offered by park
and recreation agencies - Key
programming activities
include
themed special events, social
recreation events, team sports,
fitness enhancement classes, and
health and wellness education.
Targeted programs for children,
older adults and people with disabilities
- Eighty-three percent of
agencies offer summer camp to their
communities' younger residents.
Responsibilities of Park
and Recreation Agencies
Key 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.
Other responsibilities of park and
recreation agencies - Operating,
maintaining or contracting special
purpose parks, pools and racquet
sports areas lead the list of other
agency responsibilities.
Staffing
Park and recreation agency staffing
- The typical park and recreation
agency has a payroll of 57.6 full-time
equivalent employees (FTEs).
Park and recreation FTEs per
10,000 residents - The typical
park and recreation agency has
8.9 FTEs on staff for each 10,000
residents in the jurisdiction served
by the agency.
http://www.nrpa.org/APR http://www.nrpa.org/Metrics
May 2024 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2024 - Parks & Recreation
