Which is the ‘rattiest’ city in America? It’s not NYC, according to new pest control rankings

Chicago was named the rattiest city in the US for the eighth consecutive year. – Getty Images

While the nation’s most populous city has a reputation for hosting a bustling population of unwanted pests, the “rattiest” city in the United States is not New York City, whose mayor has publicly waged war on the rodents.

That spot belongs to Chicago, according to pest control company Orkin.

The national chain ranked the top 50 most mice-and-rat-infested metropolitan regions nationwide based on the number of residential and commercial rodent removal jobs the company performed from Sept. 2021 to Aug. 2022. While it stops short of tallying actual rat populations, Orkin’s rankings at the very least reveal which cities are keen on turning to professionals to solve their pest problems.

Chicago is ‘rattiest’ for 8th straight year; New York City, Los Angeles follow

The new rankings dropped last week and revealed some reshuffling among 2021’s top 10 rattiest cities. Chicago held onto its claim as the nation’s rat capital for the eighth consecutive year, Orkin said. New York City came in as America’s second rattiest city in 2022, trading spots with Los Angeles, which slid down to the third spot.

Some cities made significant leaps in the rankings. South Bend, Indiana, for example, jumped 21 spots into the top 50.

Orkin said the pandemic gave rise to outdoor dining structures that provided rodents “a perfect place to dine, live and multiply.”

Is your city one of America’s top rat havens?

America’s 15 ‘rattiest’  cities 

Here are the 15 “rattiest” cities in the U.S., according to Orkin.

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Los Angeles
4. Washington, D.C.
5. San Francisco
6. Philadelphia
7. Baltimore
8. Cleveland
9. Detroit
10. Denver
11. Seattle
12. Minneapolis
13. Boston
14. Atlanta
15. Indianapolis

See Orkin’s full list here.