New York has a reputation for being the most rat-infested city in America – but could you guess the other worst-plagued parts of the US?
These pernicious pests are synonymous with city life, but some urban areas have a bigger rat problem than others.
California’s San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles ranked second and third, followed by Philadelphia.
Rats carry a host of diseases that can infect humans, including deadly infections like Leptospirosis, hantavirus and rat bite fever. When they infest buildings, they can also cause significant structural damage.
A new study by a nationwide pest control company has revealed the top 15 most rat-infested cities in America
Terminix, a nationwide pest control company, looked into which of its 300 branches dispatched the most rodent control services in 2023, and then ranked the cities that required the most services.
New Yorkers won’t be shocked to see their city at the top of this list. The Big Apple’s rat problem is nearly as old as the city itself – and it’s boomed in recent years.
NYC resumed its position as the number one most rat-infested city in America after Chicago dethroned it in 2022, according to a study by the nationwide pest control company Orkin.
The list also includes several cities that aren’t as well-known for their rat problem, including Denver, Dallas and Sacramento.
Today, there are as many as 3million rats living in New York City, according to a 2023 estimate by MMPC, a Long Island-based pest control company.
That’s 1 million more than were estimated in 2010.
The rats have gotten so bad that Mayor Eric Adams declared them ‘public enemy number one’ and appointed the city’s first ‘Rat Czar,’ or director of rodent mitigation, in 2023.
For New Yorkers, these pests are more than just a nuisance – they’re a danger to health. In April, the city issued a health alert over heightened cases of leptospirosis, a deadly rat-borne disease.
New York City ranked number one on the list, as the city is plagued by a population of roughly 3 million rats
In 2023, there were 24 cases of leptospirosis in New York City. That’s eight times higher than total cases in the previous two decades. By April 2024, six additional cases had been reported.
This is part of the reason why Mayor Adams and his administration have taken on a more aggressive approach to rat control and invested $3.5 million toward rat mitigation in Harlem.
The next most rat-infested cities on the list take us to the West Coast, where the San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose area required the second most rat control services in 2023.
The greater San Francisco area has had multiple noteworthy incidents of rat infestation this year.
In Oakland, a family’s apartment has become overrun with rodents, forcing them to move out as neither the landlord nor the city have solved the problem.
And in June, a grocery store in San Francisco temporarily shut down after an inspection found rodent droppings and gnawed-through packages of food, including packages of tortillas, packages of bread, cookies, and chips.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health declared that the store had a ‘major rodent violation’ and ordered it to shut down immediately on June 27. The store reopened the next day following a mandatory cleaning and sanitation process.
California’s rat problem isn’t exclusive to the greater San Francisco area. Los Angeles ranked third on Terminix’s list. Rats run rampant in LA, especially in trash-filled areas near the city’s downtown.
The city’s rat population has raised health concerns in recent years. In 2018, an outbreak of typhus – a bacterial infection that spreads to humans by fleas that have bitten infected rodents – sickened 124 LA residents.
In 2023, merchants along Los Angeles’ famed Olvera Street complained that a rat infestation was threatening their livelihoods. Video shared with the local news channel KTLA showed rodents crawling along streets, sidewalks, and under vendor stands, scavenging for food.
Rats thrive in urban areas where there is plenty of garbage for them to feed on
When rat populations get out of control, they can cause significant property damage and serious public health concerns
Philadelphia is the fourth most rat-infested city on the list, but this likely comes as no surprise to Philly residents whose complaints of rat sightings have been mounting over the last several years, according to city officials.
But this latest ranking may signal some improvement to the city’s rat problem. A 2021 American Housing survey previously ranked Philly the second-most rat-infested city in the US, with nearly 20 percent of households reporting rodents.
In some parts of the city, residents have banned together to address the problem head-on. In South Philly, for example, neighbors met with city officials to bring attention to
As rats have plagued South Philly, neighbors met with city officials to call attention to local businesses that improperly store their trash, something they believe is fueling the local rat infestation.
The meeting, which occurred in June, left residents ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the city will intervene.
The fifth most rat-infested city in the US is Washington DC. Even the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods aren’t safe from these pests.
In July, the city’s ‘Rat Czar,’ Gerard Brown, confirmed the existence of ‘active rat burrows’ outside of a pricey apartment building in Dupont Circle.
The infestation has the over 100 residents who live there, who have complained of rats entering their apartments, eating their food and leaving droppings all over their floors.
In 2023, DC’s Department of Health received more than 16,000 complaints of rodent sightings and infestations – a sign that the city’s rat problem was getting worse. Officials have cited excess trash and the pandemic as the main drivers of this issue.
‘We were shut down, and the city was closed, and restaurants were closed, the rats migrated to the residential areas,’ Brown told local news channel 7News in 2023.
Even if your city didn’t make the list, it’s important to be aware of the signs of a rodent infestation in your home. These include droppings, a urine odor, gnawed holes and marks and scampering noises.
You should also keep an eye out for rodent nests and any strange behavior from your pets. When rats invade, dogs or cats may become more alert and begin pawing at areas where the rodents may be hiding, such as underneath your refrigerator, stove or furniture.
