'Rattiest Cities' List Sees NYC Narrowly Beaten Out Of Top Spot

NEW YORK CITY — Rats are chewing up the Big Apple – but not as badly as Chicago, according to a national pest control company. New York City takes the number two spot on Orkin's "Top 50 Rattiest Cities" list, sandwiched between the Windy City and Los Angeles.

Orkin exterminators treated more homes and businesses for rodents in New York from September 2016 to September 2017 than in the 48 cities below it on the list, the company says. New York City also claimed the number two position last year, while Chicago is number one for the third year in a row.

Other major cities claiming high positions include San Francisco at No. 3, Washington, D.C. at No. 4 and Philadelphia at No. 5. The list doesn't say how many cities have their own pizza rats.

While they're probably best known locally as denizens of the subway, rats and mice love to go inside as the weather gets cooler in the fall, Orkin says. They can put homes in danger by chewing electrical wires and burrowing in building foundations.

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WATCH: Top 10 Rattiest Cities In The United States

“Rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter, while mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime,” John Kane, an entomologist and technical director of Orkin’s Midwest Region, said in a news release. “Even if they can’t find an opening, they can often chew their way in.”

New York City has pledged millions of dollars to fight rats in the most infested neighborhoods, such as Chinatown, Bushwick and the Upper West Side. The efforts include rat-proof trash cans, better enforcement of trash pickup rules and more city pest control staff.

To keep rats out of your apartment, Orkin recommends keeping food stored in rodent-proof containers, cleaning up spills quickly and sealing off cracks, holes and other possible entry points.

Orkin's full "Top 50 Rattiest Cities" list, including how each city's ranking changed from last year.

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Los Angeles (+1)
4. San Francisco – Oakland (+1)
5. Washington, DC (-2)
6. Philadelphia (+1)
7. Detroit (+2)
8. Baltimore (-2)
9. Seattle – Tacoma
10. Dallas – Ft. Worth (+4)
11. Denver (-1)
12. Minneapolis – St. Paul (-4)
13. Cleveland – Akron (+2)
14. Atlanta (+2)
15. Boston (-3)
16. Hartford – New Haven (+1)
17. Portland, OR (+3)
18. Miami – Ft. Lauderdale (-5)
19. Indianapolis
20. Houston (+1)
21. Milwaukee (+2)
22. Pittsburgh (-4)
23. New Orleans (+15)
24. Cincinnati (+10)
25. Richmond – Petersburg
26. Sacramento – Stockton (+6)
27. Kansas City (+3)
28. Charlotte (-1)
29. Norfolk – Portsmouth – Newport News (-5)
30. Buffalo (-1)
31. Columbus, OH (+6)
32. St. Louis (-4)
33. Raleigh – Durham (-11)
34. Grand Rapids – Kalamazoo (-1)
35. San Diego (+12)
36. Albany – Schenectady (-10)
37. San Antonio
38. Tampa – St. Petersburg (-7)
39. Rochester, NY (-4)
40. Nashville (-1)
41. Champaign – Springfield – Decatur
42. Greenville – Spartanburg (-2)
43. Memphis
44. Phoenix (+1)
45. Syracuse
46. West Palm Beach (-10)
47. Orlando – Daytona Beach (-1)
48. Madison (+1)
49. Flint – Saginaw (-8)
50. Green Bay – Appleton (-6)

(Lead image: File photo by Richard Drew/Associated Press)