New York City Ranks High on List of America's Most Rat-Infested Cities, but Avoids Top Spot

Mar. 15, 2025

rat.Photo: File: Getty

New York City can breathe a big collective sigh of relief: they’re not America’s rattiest city.

For the eighth consecutive year in a row, Chicago toppedOrkin’s list of America’s most rodent-infested cities. The pest control company releases an annual list of cities with the most rats.

The top 10 list over the past several years has remained mostly stable, with some cities moving up or down one or two spots.

In order, the top 10 most rodent-infested cities in the U.S. are: Chicago; New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Cleveland; Detroit; and Denver.

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There has been some movement on the list since last year. Most notable? New York beat out Los Angeles for the No. 2 ranking, and entering the top 20 this year is Hartford, Connecticut (taking the No. 19 spot), and Miami (rising three spots to secure the No. 20 spot).

South Bend, Indiana; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Orlando, Florida, were new additions to the list since 2021.

Rats aren’t always a nuisance, though.

TheHero Rats Projecttrains rodents to help with earthquake rescue. They train rats to wear backpacks that can be equipped with location trackers and microphones, so the animals can help human rescuers locate survivors stuck in earthquake debris.

“We hope it will save lives, the results are really promising,” Dr. Kean said of her work.

source: people.com