CHICAGO (WGN) — For the 10th straight year, Chicago has been named the “rattiest” city in the U.S., according to Orkin’s annual survey.
The 2024 rankings, released on Monday, reviewed new residential rodent treatments between last September and this August, helping “Orkin better understand how likely homeowners in each city are to have a rodent problem.”
Unsurprisingly, Chicago — which spent part of the year fawning over a rat-shaped hole in a sidewalk — again found itself at the top of the list, capping off a decade of unsatisfying but ratty dominance.
“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. In these hidden spots, the rodent population can grow if left unchecked,” Orkin said.
Los Angeles came in second behind Chicago and New York finished in third overall, matching last year’s rankings.
Below is the complete list of the 50 rattiest cities in the U.S., according to Orkin.
Chicago
Los Angeles
New York
San Francisco
Washington, D.C.
Denver
Philadelphia
Detroit
Baltimore
Cleveland, Ohio
Minneapolis
Boston
Hartford, Connecticut
Seattle
Indianapolis
Atlanta
Columbus, Ohio
San Diego
Milwaukee
Sacramento
Pittsburgh
Dallas
Miami
Norfolk, Virginia
Houston
Charlotte, North Carolina
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Raleigh, North Carolina
Honolulu
Albuquerque
Albany, New York
Phoenix
Greenville, South Carolina
Cincinnati
Tampa
Nashville
Richmond, Virginia
Portland, Oregon
Orlando
New Orleans
Buffalo, New York
Flint, Michigan
Rochester, New York
Champaign, Illinois
Kansas City, Missouri
Burlington, Vermont
Oklahoma City
Syracuse, New York
Charleston, West Virginia
Greensboro, South Carolina
These rankings nearly align with a recent report by Terminix, which analyzed where its branches had dispatched the most rodent control services to find the most “rodent infested cities.” Topping out that list were New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Chicago came in sixth overall on Terminix’s list.
As temperatures begin to cool, as they are currently across much of the country, homeowners may experience rat infestations, Orkin warns.
“Rodents can cause a lot of structural problems for property owners,” says 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.”
Because rats reproduce quickly, even a small infestation can become a serious problem. Orkin says warning signs of an infestation include rodent droppings, scratching or scurrying sounds, gnaw marks, rub marks, and burrows.
To help keep rats out, Orkin recommends sealing entry points, clearing up food sources and debris, ensuring your trash containers are sealed, and fixing water leaks.
