Chicago Named No. 1 on Orkin's Rattiest Cities List for 10 Consecutive Years

ATLANTA - For the tenth straight year, Chicago has secured the top spot on Orkin's Top 50 Rattiest Cities List, maintaining its reign since the list's inception. This decade-long dominance highlights the city's ongoing battle with rodents, as well as the efforts taken to treat their presence, which has been driven largely by the Windy City's infrastructure and environment, the company said.

Los Angeles, ranked No. 2, and New York, ranked No. 3, have been among the top three Rattiest Cities since 2017. Of the 50 cities, New York state is represented the most, with five cities making the list: New York, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. 

Chicago's abundance of alleys provides rodents with hidden havens, offering plenty of space to hide while feasting on trash. Rodents burrow, finding shelter beneath subway tracks or around underground pipes. In these hidden spots, the rodent population can grow if left unchecked.

This year's data was collected by tracking new residential rodent treatments from Sept. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2024.

1.    Chicago, Ill.
2.    Los Angeles, Calif.
3.    New York, N.Y.
4.    San Francisco, Cali.
5.    Washington, D.C.
6.    Denver, Colo.
7.    Philadelphia, Pa.
8.    Detroit, Mich.
9.    Baltimore, Md.
10.  Cleveland, Ohio
11.  Minneapolis, Minn.
12.  Boston, Mass.
13.  Hartford, Conn.
14.  Seattle, Wash.
15.  Indianapolis, Ind.
16.  Atlanta, Ga.
17.  Columbus, Ohio
18.  San Diego, Calif.
19.  Milwaukee, Wis.
20.  Sacramento, Calif.
21.  Pittsburgh, Pa.
22.  Dallas, Texas
23.  Miami, Fla.
24.  Norfolk, Va.
25.  Houston, Texas
26.  Charlotte, N.C.
27.  Grand Rapids, Mich.
28.  Raleigh, N.C.
29.  Honolulu, Hawaii
30.  Albuquerque, N.M.
31.  Albany, N.Y.
32.  Phoenix, Az.
33.  Greenville, S.C.
34.  Cincinnati, Ohio
35.  Tampa, Fla.
36.  Nashville, Tenn.
37.  Richmond, Va.
38.  Portland, Ore.
39.  Orlando, Fla.
40.  New Orleans, La.
41.  Buffalo, N.Y.
42.  Flint, Mich.
43.  Rochester, N.Y.
44.  Champaign, Ill.
45.  Kansas City, Mo.
46.  Burlington, Vt.
47.  Oklahoma City, Okla.
48.  Syracuse, N.Y.
49.  Charleston, W.Va.
50.  Greensboro, S.C.

Source: Newswire