Pest control experts reveal 50 most rat-infested U.S. cities

Which U.S. city is the ‘rattiest’?

According to Orkin’s annual survey of the nation’s 50 most rodent-infested cities, Chicago is the ‘rat king’.

“Chicago continues its first-place run in the rat race,” experts with the pest control company write.

Los Angeles moved up to the No. 2 slot, while New York City reportedly slipped to third.

“Cities on the Rattiest Cities List are based on the number of new rodent services showcasing the demand and also indicates the efforts that residents and businesses of the top cities have taken to treat rodent issues,” the Orkin report says.

Experts add that Orkin ranked metro regions “by the number of new rodent treatments performed from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. This ranking includes both residential and commercial pest control treatments.”

Houston jumped 10 spots in the rankings this year to No. 20, while Greensboro, N.C., moved up 17 spots to take No. 50.

Other cities that made the list include: Cleveland-Akron - No. 10, Atlanta - No. 14, Columbus, OH - No. 18, Miami-Fort Lauderdale - No. 19, Cincinnati - No. 31, Tampa-St. Pete - No. 36 and Orlando-Daytona Beach - No. 37.

View the full list below:

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles (+1)
3. New York (-1)
4. Washington, Dc
5. San Francisco
6. Philadelphia
7. Baltimore
8. Denver
9. Detroit (+1)
10. Cleveland-Akron (-1)
11. Minneapolis-St. Paul
12. Seattle
13. Boston
14. Atlanta
15. Indianapolis
16. Pittsburgh
17. Hartford
18. Columbus, Oh (+3)
19. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (+1)
20. Houston (+10)
21. Charlotte (+16)
22. Dallas-Ft. Worth (+2)
23. Raleigh-Durham (+8)
24. Milwaukee (-6)
25. Grand Rapids (-2)
26. Portland, Or (-4)
27. Norfolk- Portsmouth (+1)
28. San Diego (-9)
29. Richmond-Petersburg (+3)
30. New Orleans (+8)
31. Cincinnati (-6)
32. Greenville-Spartanburg (+10)
33. Sacramento (+7)
34. Kansas City (-5)
35. Nashville (-9)
36. Tampa-St. Pete (+5)
37. Orlando-Daytona Bch (+12)
38. Buffalo (-5)
39. St. Louis (-5)
40. Phoenix (+5)
41. Champaign, Il (-14)
42. Albany-Troy (-6)
43. Flint (-8)
44. Burlington-Plattsburgh (+4)
45. Albuquerque (+17)
46. Rochester, Ny (+5)
47. South Bend, In (-4)
48. Syracuse (-9
49. Charleston-Huntington (-2)
50. Greensboro, N.C. (+17)
    

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