Chicago named rattiest city for 10th year in a row
CHICAGO - For the 10th straight year, Chicago has been deemed the most rat-infested in the United States, according to Orkin's Rattiest City List.
Los Angeles claimed the number two spot this year with New York coming in third place.
According to Orkin, Chicago's infrastructure contributes to its proliferation of rodentia.
"Chicago’s abundance of alleys provides rodents with hidden havens, offering plenty of space to hide while feasting on trash. Rodents also love to burrow, finding shelter beneath subway tracks or around underground pipes," the pest control company's statement read.
Typically, rodents will enter homes between October and February in order to shelter from the cold and search for food and water.
"Rodents can cause a lot of structural problems for property owners," said John Kane, Orkin National Accounts Entomologist & Quality Manager. "They can get in around piping and even chew through walls. These tiny culprits tend to chew through wiring, which poses an increased risk of fires."
Top 10 Rattiest Cities, according to Orkin
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Francisco
- Washington
- Denver
- Philadelphia
- Detroit
- Baltimore
- Cleveland
The Orkin study tracked new residential rodent treatments from September 2023 to Aug. 31.
In addition to causing structural damage to homes, rodents can also spread illnesses to humans such as Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis, plague and typhus.
For the full list of top rattiest cities, click here.