Chicago Ranks No. 1 on Orkin’s Rattiest Cities List

 

New this year, Orkin is celebrating Chicago’s top spot placement by releasing a limited-edition t-shirt made available for free while supplies last. The shirt will feature a Top Rattiest City design made specifically for Chicago, commemorating the dedication of the city as it perseveres in the battle against rodents.  

 

Cities on the Rattiest Cities List are based on the number of new rodent services showcasing the demand and also indicates the efforts that residents and businesses of the top cities have taken to treat rodent issues.  

 

Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from Sept.1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. This ranking includes both residential and commercial pest control treatments. 

 

1.            CHICAGO  

2.            LOS ANGELES (+1) 

3.            NEW YORK (-1) 

4.            WASHINGTON, DC  

5.            SAN FRANCISCO 

6.            PHILADELPHIA 

7.            BALTIMORE 

8.            DENVER 

9.            DETROIT (+1) 

10.          CLEVELAND-AKRON (-1) 

11.          MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL 

12.          SEATTLE 

13.          BOSTON  

14.          ATLANTA 

15.          INDIANAPOLIS 

16.          PITTSBURGH 

17.          HARTFORD  

18.          COLUMBUS, OH (+3) 

19.          MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE (+1) 

20.          HOUSTON (+10) 

21.          CHARLOTTE (+16) 

22.          DALLAS-FT. WORTH (+2) 

23.          RALEIGH-DURHAM (+8) 

24.          MILWAUKEE (-6) 

25.          GRAND RAPIDS (-2) 

26.          PORTLAND, OR (-4) 

27.          NORFOLK-PORTSMTH (+1) 

28.          SAN DIEGO (-9) 

29.          RICHMOND-PETERSBURG (+3) 

30.          NEW ORLEANS (+8) 

31.          CINCINNATI (-6) 

32.          GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG (+10) 

33.          SACRAMNTO (+7) 

34.          KANSAS CITY (-5) 

35.          NASHVILLE (-9) 

36.          TAMPA-ST. PETE (+5) 

37.          ORLANDO-DAYTONA BCH (+12) 

38.          BUFFALO (-5) 

39.          ST. LOUIS (-5) 

40.          PHOENIX (+5) 

41.          CHAMPAIGN, IL (-14) 

42.          ALBANY-TROY (-6) 

43.          FLINT (-8) 

44.          BURLINGTON-PLATTSBURGH (+4) 

45.          ALBUQUERQUE (+17) 

46.          ROCHESTER, NY (+5) 

47.          SOUTH BEND, IN (-4) 

48.          SYRACUSE (-9) 

49.          CHARLESTON-HUNTINGTON (-2) 

50.          GREENSBORO, N.C. (+17) 

 

Each fall, mice and other rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the United States. They typically enter homes between October and February looking for food, water and shelter from the cold.  

 

“Rodents multiply swiftly and when an infestation is left unattended, they can cause extensive damage to homes and yards,” said Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist. “Rats are capable of squeezing into spaces through holes as small as a quarter, which makes it especially important to seal cracks from the outside