Atlanta Among Most Roach-Infested Metro Areas

ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta metro area may have one of the highest rates cockroaches, compared to other top metros in the country. But, the region falls in the middle of the pack on mouse and rat counts, according to new U.S. Census survey data.

Cockroaches are seen most frequently in New Orleans and Houston, while mice and rats are most often spotted in Philadelphia and Boston. That's according to the American Housing Survey, a review conducted every two years by the U.S. Census Bureau that gives us the closest idea of just how pervasive these visits into our homes are.

The full data from 2015's survey isn't available yet, but statistics from 25 major metropolitan areas have been released. They include the 15 largest areas and 10 other metros. Respondents were asked if they had seen evidence of a rat, mouse or cockroach in their home in the last 12 months or since they had moved in.

In Atlanta, nearly 1 in 4 residents surveyed reported seeing evidence of a roach in the past year. That puts the metro region at 4th in the list of 25 metros. But, mice and rat reports were among the fewest, with less than 5 percent reporting sightings in the past year.

Like any survey, the data shouldn't be taken as any sort of empirical evidence. Rat or roach populations are difficult to estimate across a large area. These numbers show only how many respondents said they had or hand't seen one of these critters in their home.

At nearly 18 percent, Philadelphia had the highest rate of people who said they had seen at least evidence of either a rat or mouse. The roaches were much more pervasive. At 41 percent, New Orleans residents saw evidence of a roach at a higher rate than any other city available.

See the results across the top metro areas.

Includes reporting by Marc Torrence | Image via Shutterstock