What to Know
- Hartford & New Haven named the 17th most rat-infested cities in America
- New York was named the second rattiest city
- The most rat-infested city, according to Orkin, is Chicago
Miami and Fort Lauderdale are two of the most "rattiest" cities in the United States, according to a new survey.
Pest control company Orkin released its annual list of the Top 50 Rattiest Cities in the county, with South Florida making a cameo appearance.
While many people think of New York as rat central, the Big Apple ranked second behind Chicago, which landed in the top spot.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale came in at number 13 in the list of 50.
The list was compiled from a survey assessing the number of commercial and residential rodent treatments the company performed across the country over the last year.
New Yorkers may not be surprised to top the list. The city reported that complaints about rats in the city are coming in at record numbers.
U.S. & World
In 2015, an unprecedented 29,314 rodent complaints were logged with 311, the city says, and so far this year complaints are well on track to shatter that record.
Washington, D.C., came in at third rattiest, and Philadelphia wasn't far behind in seventh place.
Boston came in at number 12.
The Midwest was over-represented on the Top 50 Rattiest Cities, taking 13 of the top spots.
Orkin Midwest technical director John Kane said fall marked the start of rodent season, as rodents seek out warmth and shelter.
“Just like we put on a warm coat and turn up the heat indoors, rodents look for a warm place to nest."
Orkin says fall is a very popular time for rodents to work to enter homes.
Check out the top 20 rattiest cities below according to the survey:
1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Los Angeles
5. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
6. Baltimore
7. Philadelphia
8. Minneapolis-St. Paul
9. Detroit
10. Denver
11. Seattle-Tacoma
12. Boston
13. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
14. Dallas-Ft. Worth
15. Cleveland
16. Atlanta
17. Hartford & New Haven, Conn.
18. Pittsburgh
19. Indianapolis
20. Portland, Ore.
The survey covers rodent treatments performed between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016.
