CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago is keeping a crown it would rather not have. For the 10th year in a row, Chicago was ranked as the rattiest city in America by pest control company Orkin.
The Windy City has held the title as the rattiest city in America since Orkin first created the list.
Orkin said the city’s years-long struggle with rats is driven largely by its infrastructure and environment:
“Chicago’s abundance of alleys provides rodents with hidden havens, offering plenty of space to hide while feasting on trash. Rodents also love to burrow, finding shelter beneath subway tracks or around underground pipes. In these hidden spots, the rodent population can grow if left unchecked.”
Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new residential rodent treatments performed between Sept. 1, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024.
Los Angeles was ranked the second rattiest city in the nation, with New York coming in third. The two cities have been among the top three rattiest cities in the U.S. since 2017.