Oh, Rats: Chicago Once Again Rattiest City In U.S.

CHICAGO — Chicago may well be known as The Second City, but when it comes to a certain undesired rodent that tends to make its home in local streets and alleys, the city is the clear-cut leader. Again.

Chicago was deemed America’s rattiest city by pest control company Orkin, which ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by the number of rodent treatments conducted by the company. Orkin ranked Chicago ahead of New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. on its Top 50 list, which can be seen here.

This year marked the eighth straight that Chicago held down the top spot.

Each fall, mice and other rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the United States, Orkin said. The rodents typically enter homes between October and February looking for food, water, and shelter from the cold.

And unique to previous years, with the influx of outdoor dining structures brought on by the pandemic, rodents have found the perfect place to dine, live and multiply, so consumers should pay extra attention to the attractants that entice rats and mice.

“Rodent infestations are among the top pest issues of the fall and winter seasons,” Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist said in a news release. “Not only are mice and rats a nuisance, but they are known to spread a variety of dangerous diseases, including salmonella and hantavirus.”

While Chicago continues to hold down the nation’s top spot as far as rats go, officials from the Lincoln Park Zoo maintain that the number of alleys in the streets and complaints from residents may have more to do about the top seeding than the actual number of rats.

“Parking spaces and alleys are often an extension of the homeowner's property versus rats seen on public streets,” sMaureen Murray, a wildlife disease ecologist at the zoo, told WTTW.

According to the zoo’s Rat Project website, research has found that neighborhoods with higher numbers of complaints, more renters and less vacant land tend to have more rats.