(KTLA/NEXSTAR) — It’s their world. We just live in it.
Orkin has released its 2023 list of the “rattiest cities” in the U.S., which ranks 50 of the nation’s busiest metro regions by “the number of new rodent treatments” performed over a period of 12 months. Specifically, Orkin studied new rodent treatments executed between Sept. 1, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2023, at both residential and commercial properties.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Chicago was ranked as the No. 1 “rattiest” city for a ninth consecutive year.
Rounding out the top five “rattiest” cities were Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco — the usual suspects, as Orkin’s previous reports have suggested.
A complete list of the 50 “rattiest” cities can be found below, with plus (+) or minus (-) symbols indicating their change over last year’s list:
- Chicago
- Los Angeles (+1)
- New York (-1)
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Philadelphia
- Baltimore
- Denver
- Detroit (+1)
- Cleveland-Akron (-1)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Seattle
- Boston
- Atlanta
- Indianapolis
- Pittsburgh
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Columbus, Ohio (+3)
- Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (+1)
- Houston (+10)
- Charlotte (+16)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth (+2)
- Raleigh-Durham (+8)
- Milwaukee (-6)
- Grand Rapids (-2)
- Portland, Oregon (-4)
- Norfolk-Portsmouth, Virginia (+1)
- San Diego (-9)
- Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia (+3)
- New Orleans (+8)
- Cincinnati (-6)
- Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina (+10)
- Sacramento (+7)
- Kansas City (-5)
- Nashville (-9)
- Tampa-St. Pete (+5)
- Orlando-Daytona Beach (+12)
- Buffalo (-5)
- St. Louis (-5)
- Phoenix (+5)
- Champaign, Illinois (-14)
- Albany-Troy, New York (-6)
- Flint, Michigan (-8)
- Burlington, Vermont-Plattsburgh, New York (+4)
- Albuquerque, New Mexico (+17)
- Rochester, New York (+5)
- South Bend, Indiana (-4)
- Syracuse, New York (-9)
- Charleston-Huntington, West Virginia (-2)
- Greensboro, North Carolina (+17)
Orkin added that fall and winter — specifically October through February — are when rodents most often make their way into residences, with an estimated 21 million seeking food and shelter during the colder months
“Rodents multiply swiftly and when an infestation is left unattended, they can cause extensive damage to homes and yards,” Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said in a news release announcing the 2023 list. “Rats are capable of squeezing into spaces through holes as small as a quarter, which makes it especially important to seal cracks from the outside.”
Rats can also carry diseases including hantavirus, leptospirosis and even monkeypox, according to the CDC.
To prevent rat infestation in your home, Orkin recommends keeping food sealed and stored, removing clutter — especially cardboard, which they chew and use for their nests — maintaining the landscaping around your home, and inspecting for rodents frequently.
On the other hand, for those looking to celebrate their “rattiest city” title as they would a sports championship, Orkin has taken the liberty of designing a colorful T-shirt to specifically celebrate Chicago’s unparalleled run at the top of the rankings.