Orkin released its Top 50 Rattiest Cities list today, and for the fourth consecutive time, Chicago takes the top spot.
Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from Sept. 15, 2017 – Sept. 15, 2018. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.
| 1. Chicago | 26. San Diego (+9) |
| 2. Los Angeles (+1) | 27. Raleigh-Durham (+6) |
| 3. New York (-1) | 28. Buffalo, NY (+2) |
| 4. Washington, DC (+1) | 29. New Orleans (-6) |
| 5. San Francisco (-1) | 30. Norfolk, VA (-1) |
| 6. Detroit (+1) | 31. Richmond, VA (-6) |
| 7. Philadelphia (-1) | 32. Albany, NY (+4) |
| 8. Cleveland, OH (+5) | 33. Kansas City, MO (-6) |
| 9. Baltimore (-1) | 34. Portland, ME (+19) |
| 10. Denver (+1) | 35. Nashville, TN (+5) |
| 11. Minneapolis-St. Paul (+1) | 36. St. Louis, MO (-4) |
| 12. Dallas-Ft. Worth (-2) | 37. Sacramento (-11) |
| 13. Boston (+2) | 38. Greenville, SC (+4) |
| 14. Seattle (-5) | 39. Grand Rapids, MI (-5) |
| 15. Atlanta (-1) | 40. Phoenix (+4) |
| 16. Indianapolis (+3) | 41. Orlando (+6) |
| 17. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (+1) | 42. Tampa (-4) |
| 18. Hartford, CT (-2) | 43. Burlington, NY (+11) |
| 19. Pittsburgh (+3) | 44. Champaign, IL (-3) |
| 20. Cincinnati (+4) | 45. Rochester, NY (-6) |
| 21. Milwaukee | 46. Syracuse (-1) |
| 22. Charlotte, NC (+6) | 47. Charleston, WV (+17) |
| 23. Houston (-3) | 48. Dayton, OH (+7) |
| 24. Portland, OR (-7) | 49. Memphis (-6) |
| 25. Columbus, OH (+6) | 50. Flint, MI (-1) |
During the colder months, rodent activity increases as these pests seek shelter in warm areas with readily-available food and water. In fact, the National Pest Management Association reports rodents enter an estimated 21 million homes in the U.S. each winter.
“Rodents don’t need much of an invitation to enter your home,” said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist. “A rat can squeeze through an opening as small as a quarter, while a mouse can wedge its way into a hole smaller than a dime.”
They chew through just about anything and can cause structural damage as they gnaw on electrical wires, gas lines and support beams. It’s estimated approximately 25 percent of unexplained fires start from rodent chewing.
SOURCE Orkin, LLC, Kelsey Walker, Jackson Spalding for Orkin, 404.214.1328