America’s local and regional park agencies differ greatly in size and facility offerings. Whereas the typical agency participating in NRPA Park Metrics serves a jurisdiction (e.g., a town, city, county and/or region) of 39,183 people, there are agencies that serve an area of just a few hundred people while others are a primary recreation resource for millions of people. Naturally, the offerings of these agencies vary as much as do the markets they serve.

Typically, there is one park for every 2,181 residents and 10.1 acres of park land for every 1,000 residents when looking at the United States as a whole. Many park and recreation agencies have staple outdoor and indoor facilities offerings to serve the members of their jurisdictions. However, these numbers may fluctuate when broken down into greater detail.