Despite relatively low spending on parks, Honolulu scored in the top third in an annual ranking of urban park systems in the 100 largest U.S. cities.

In results released today, Hawaii’s largest city tied for 32nd with Henderson, Nev., and Philadelphia, earning 3.5 “park benches” (out of five) in the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore Index for 2017.

The below-average spending apparently was offset by one of the highest percentages of parkland in the country and by the fact that most people live within a 10-minute walk of a park, according to an analysis of Honolulu’s ranking.

But while Honolulu achieved the highest score possible for its ample recreational and senior centers, and for basketball hoops, the city fell far short on playgrounds and dog parks.

“We don’t spend enough on our parks,” said Lea Hong, state director for the Trust for Public Land. “If it’s important to us, we should spend the money, but we don’t.”

Honolulu Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Nathan “Nate” Serota questioned the accuracy of the numbers, as the department is responsible for all the public parks outside of urban Honolulu as well.

However, Charlie McCabe, director of the Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Parks Excellence, said the nonprofit looked at the city’s numbers and tried to delineate urban from rural spending.

The total of $51 per resident, he said, represents the average spent in urban Honolulu over a three-year period to account for capital improvement projects that spike budgets but in reality could be one-time-only expenditures.

Hong said the high percentage of parkland is skewed somewhat by the inclusion of the state forest reserves that form much of the city’s mountainous backdrop. While these wilderness areas are a valuable asset, she said, the rugged terrain restricts accessibility.

Minneapolis narrowly edged its Minnesota neighbor, St. Paul, to remain at the top of the rankings for the second consecutive year. San Francisco pulled ahead of Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., for third place, largely due to a calculated effort to become the first city to have 100 percent of its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

The annual ParkScore Index uses a relatively simple formula to rank city park systems: acreage, access, and investment and amenities.

“It’s a balancing act,” McCabe said. “There’s a reason that parks are good and get a lot of community support. Parks are a public asset. That’s why we do what we do.”

Although Honolulu sported a No. 27 ranking last year, the city’s scores have remained just about the same over the five years the nonprofit has been ranking urban park systems.

According to the latest ParkScore report, 84 percent of Honolulu residents live within a 10-minute walk — or half-mile — of a park, which is well above the national average of 66 percent. Also well above the national average is the city’s percentage of parkland: 33 percent.

On the other hand, Honolulu has a relatively small median park size — 2.3 acres, compared with the national median of 5 acres — and a parks budget that is significantly below the national average of $80 in spending per person and vastly below Minneapolis and seven other cities that spend more than $200 per person.

In Honolulu the parks operating budget for the 2017 fiscal year was $76.5 million. The proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2018 is slightly higher, with a capital improvement budget well over $52 million.

Serota said that with the city responsible for the entire island, the ParkScore study omits many of Oahu’s most widely used parks.

“If the report took into account the world-class beaches at our parks, we would certainly rank even higher,” Serota said in an email.

But spending is just as low outside urban Honolulu as it is inside, Hong said, noting that the state’s 2015 Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan included a statewide survey that identified operation and maintenance of existing outdoor recreation facilities as the top priority.

“It’s disappointing that we’re still at the same level despite Mayor (Kirk) Caldwell’s efforts to become more park-centric,” Hong said.

Caldwell offered this statement: “Oahu’s parks are our crown jewels, places for ohana to come together and celebrate life, enjoy the beach and the outdoors, play sports and live a healthy lifestyle.”

Hong said the Trust for Public Land is finding that cities across America are reinvesting in parks and trails as a way to make their communities more healthy and livable.

“Companies are more mobile than ever and want to locate their businesses — and jobs — in areas that offer good quality of life, good schools, etc.,” she said. “Access to parks and trails is very important in Hawaii, where most people get their exercise from walking.”

After calculating the scores, the annual index hands out a “park bench” rating to each city on a scale from zero to 5. Minneapolis earned five park benches, while Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., two of the cities at the bottom of the ranking, earned one.

“You can’t have a great city without a great park system,” Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of city park development for the Trust for Public Land, said in a news release.

The website parkscore.tpl.org offers additional data and analysis that pinpoint the neighborhoods where parks are needed most. The website also includes interactive maps that allow users to zoom in on a block-by-block basis.