The Big Cities Where It’s Easiest to Park

Nothing is more frustrating than going up and down city streets trying to spot a parking space or garage where you can stow your vehicle for a few hours – or overnight. But in some major cities, visitors and residents alike have an easier time finding that coveted parking space. 

To compile a list of the major U.S. cities with the best parking availability, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a report by Zutobi Drivers Ed, an online drivers education resource. The site selected the largest American cities by population according to the World Population Review, then created an index of eight measures for those cities, weighted equally: lowest price for hourly parking, self-park availability, valet availability, number of available garages or covered car parks, number of available lots or uncovered car parks, wheelchair accessibility, EV charging availability, and number of car parks rated “excellent” per square mile. 

Zutobi obtained details on parking availability from SpotHero, a digital parking marketplace. Prices used for the ranking are for the generic time frame of 8.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. as of Sept. 28, 2022. Cities for which parking data was not available were omitted, and only those cities with a score of 6/10 or higher are included. (These are the most expensive cities for parking.)

The report reveals that the major American city with the best parking availability is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Midwestern metropolis topped all other cities with a score of 8.06/10. Parking there is particularly affordable, at $4 for three hours. The city also ranked high for accessible parking, with 23 wheelchair-accessible lots.

New York City has a deserved reputation for congested streets and expensive parking. but its overall parking availability is not so bad. It ranked No. 13 on this list, scoring 6.55/10 – dragged down at least in part by the fact that the lowest available price for three hours of parking is $21. On the other hand, the city has 57 wheelchair-accessible car parks, first among all cities. (New York City easily ranks among America’s worst cities to drive in.)