Chicago Named America's 'Rattiest City'

This is part of Disney's plan to use Chicago to promote Ratatouille the Sequel!

Chicago Named America's 'Rattiest City'

Chicago has topped the ranking the entire 10 years it has been in existence.

Anna Schier, Patch

Posted Mon, Oct 21, 2024 at 2:01 pm CT

CHICAGO — Chicago has once again been named the nation’s rattiest city, according to Orkin's Top 50 Rattiest Cities List.

Chicago is among two cities in Illinois included in the ranking from Orkin, which uses residential requests for pest-control services to develop the list. Champaign was No. 44.

Chicago has topped the list for the entire 10 years it has been in existence. Softening the blow, Orkin said Chicago should be proud of the efforts that have been taken in the ongoing battle against rats and rodents.

Without efforts to eradicate them, rats and mice would have a field day in the abundance of alleys that offer hidden havens and a waiting buffet in trash cans. Rodents also like to burrow and have found shelter beneath Chicago’s subway tracks and among underground pipes, Orkin said.

Los Angeles and New York City have also been in the top three in the history of the list.

1 Chicago

2 Los Angeles

3 New York City

4 San Francisco

5 Washington, D.C.

6 Denver

7 Philadelphia

8 Detroit

9 Baltimore

10 Cleveland

At the state level, New York has the most cities on the list, with five. California has four.

Related: Yikes! Rats And Mice Are Scampering In Right Now: What To Do

Left unchecked, rats and other rodents can cause structural damage to homes. They enter around piping and even chew through walls, posing a fire risk because they tend to chew through electrical wiring as well, Orkin entomologist John Kane said in a news release.

Rodents eat the equivalent of a slice of bread every day, and even when they’re not eating, they are constantly chewing. A rat’s teeth have a rating of 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means they are powerful enough to chew through steel garbage cans, according to Orkin.

Rodents also reproduce quickly and infestations can become a problem. Look for droppings, gnaw marks and evidence of burrowing around the foundation. Rodents often can be heard before they’re seen, so listen for scratching or scurrying sounds, especially at night.

To prevent them, seal entry points (rats only need an opening the size of a quarter to get in and mice need even less) around windows, doors and pipes. Eliminate food sources, including by storing food in sealed containers, cleaning up food messes immediately, and making sure the garbage and pet food aren’t accessible. Also, make sure debris outside can’t be used as nesting areas, set traps and, if rodents still get in, call an exterminator, Orkin said.