All topics / Basic Services for All New Yorkers / Department of Parks and Recreation
Recreation center attendance — Total
Provide recreational and educational opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages. — Increase public attendance at educational programs, recreation centers, and other venues.
Recreation center attendance was recovering from pandemic-related closures across this period: NYC Parks' own reporting says FY25's total of over 2 million attendees was the first time that mark was surpassed "since before pandemic related recreation center closures in Fiscal 2020," which explains most of the rise from FY22's low base. The subsequent partial-year dip in FY26 is attributed by Parks to facility closures for capital renovations at some centers.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
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| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 776,001 |
| FY23 | 1,647,046 |
| FY24 | 1,870,379 |
| FY25 | 2,057,794 |
| FY26 (YTD) | 1,513,022 |
| FY26 (projected) | ~2,017,363 |
Why this is tracked
As New York's population surged in the 19th century and cholera and typhoid spread through crowded tenement neighborhoods, the state mandated free public bathhouses in large cities starting in 1895; by 1911, twelve had opened in Manhattan alone. In the 1930s, the Parks Department took over these bathhouses and, using Works Progress Administration labor, built eleven large outdoor pools that all opened within weeks of each other in summer 1936. That legacy continues today: the Department operates dozens of outdoor and indoor pools that are free or low-cost, alongside recreation centers offering programs for children, seniors, and people with disabilities, with a 2024 initiative committing over $1 billion to modernize aging pool infrastructure.
History of Parks' Swimming Pools - NYC Parks, History of Recreation in Parks - NYC Parks, Mayor Adams Launches Let's Swim NYC
Source: Public Programs — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: The total recreation center attendance for seniors, adults, youths and children, and visitors.