NYC Is Not Most Rat Infested City In US, Shocking Study Finds

NEW YORK CITY — Oh, rats — New York City is no longer the nation's most rodent-infested city.

Yes, it's time to crown a new rat king: Chicago.

The hard-to-fathom news, discovered during an annual survey by pest control company Orkin, put the Second City at the top of the nation's rat pack.

Second place went to Los Angeles, while New York City just squeaked in at third place.

For every New Yorker who sees the creatures scrambling from trash bags on city streets at night or scurrying between the subway tracks, the findings will leave them feeling cheated — but perhaps it's because the city's rats are part of the scenery.

Orkin's ranking is based on the number of new rodent treatments performed from Sept. 15 of the previous year to Sept. 15 of the current year. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

And New Yorkers are not calling Orkin to deal with street rats.

The company did, however, conclude that the number of rats on city streets surged.

“The pandemic-driven closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources,” Orkin said. “Without food waste to consume, these pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behavior.”

As life slowly returned to normal following the end of business closures and pandemic lockdowns, food and water sources were replenished for rodents. In New York City alone, the number of rodent complaints made to the city in March 2021 surged by 80 percent, Bloomberg reported.

At one point, the presence of rodents became so noticeable the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued rodent control guidance on ways to keep rats and mice out of homes and businesses, according to Orkin.

Still, the top five rattiest cities did not change from 2020, according to this year’s list.

See Orkin’s full list of rattiest cities.