Illinois City Named “America’s Rattiest City” For 10th Straight Year
Not the cutest look.
One gross side of living in a city can be the rat problem. Sometimes it's more or less contained, other times it's absolutely not.
Orkin released their latest findings for America's Rattiest Cities and coming in at #1 is Chicago. And it marks the city's decade-long reign in the position. It's really kinda celebratory at this point.
The city's "infrastructure and environment" are appealing to rats, with plenty of alleys they can hide out in and a lot of trash to eat. They can burrow under subway tracks or underground pipes.
Rodents cause all kinds of problems for homeowners. Orkin National Accounts Entomologist & Quality Manager John Kane said in a statement to NBC Chicago:
Rodents can cause a lot of structural problems for property owners. 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.
The data from Orkin's study came from tracking new residential rodent treatments between September 2023-August 2024. To help minimize the likelihood of rats in your house or apartment, seal off little entry points they could sneak into and don't leave any food sitting around that they could get into. Really, just keeping a clean space can help keep them away.
For 2024, coming in at #2 on the list was Los Angeles, followed by New York City. Milwaukee is on the list too, coming in at #19 out of 50. Chicago, meanwhile, has held the title of "America's Rattiest City" since Orkin started the list.