Chicago named ‘rattiest city in America’ for 10th straight year: a growing urban challenge
CHICAGO – For the tenth consecutive year, Chicago has been named the “rattiest city” in the United States, according to a report released by Orkin, a leading pest control company. This decade-long streak is attributed to the city’s intricate network of alleyways, which provide ideal hiding spots and abundant trash for rodents to thrive, as highlighted in Orkin’s report.
Trailing behind Chicago are Los Angeles, ranked second, and New York City, which placed third. Despite the New York mayor’s recent appointment of a “rat czar” to address the city’s own rodent problem, these three major urban centers have consistently occupied the top positions since 2017.
Orkin’s rankings were based on the number of new residential rodent treatments performed between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.
In response to Chicago’s growing rat problem, Mayor Brandon Johnson has allocated $14.85 million in the 2024 budget to the city’s Bureau of Rodent Control, an increase of $1.5 million from the previous year. The funds will be used to strengthen the city’s efforts in inspections, baiting alleys and sewers, and removing dead rodents from public spaces.
This budget boost comes after a joint investigation by Block Club Chicago and the Illinois Answers Project revealed that the city has struggled to keep up with the explosion of rat infestations, a problem that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation also found that response times were particularly slow in some West and South Side neighborhoods, prompting the city’s Inspector General’s Office to announce an audit of the rodent control bureau.
With over 50,000 rat complaints filed in 2022 alone, Chicago residents are facing a persistent challenge as the city battles to curb the growing rodent population.
