According to the National Program for Playground Safety, Florida made the greatest improvement in playground safety from 2000 to 2004, going from a D- to a B+ grade. Rubberized playing surfaces, plastic play elements, and gradual ramps and safety railings are becoming more prevalent and making playgrounds safer.

The National Program for Playground Safety, founded in October 1995 and part of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, has noted a slight improvement in the safety of America?EUR??,,????'???s playgrounds. The NPPS 2000 survey gave the nation?EUR??,,????'???s playgrounds an overall grade of C; the 2004 survey overall rating moved up to a C+ grade for safety, based on supervision, age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, and equipment maintenance.

The state-by-state breakdown follows, indicating the results from 2000 and 2004. GREEN indicates more than a grade improvement from 2000 to 2004; BLUE indicates a full grade improvement from 2000 to 2004; RED indicates at least a full grade lower from 2000 to 2004.