According to a study done by Orkin, the five cities with the most rat and mouse problems are Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.
Pests are a concern in housing units all around the country, but they are most frequent in low-income households and in housing units with structural issues and water leaks.
Being near half a block of rubbish or an abandoned structure is likewise linked to a higher risk of reporting bugs.
Rats and mice can transmit diseases to humans directly through feces, urine, or saliva, as well as indirectly through ticks, mites, or fleas that have eaten on an infected rodent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Rodents are drawn to rubbish outside of homes as well as dark, wet places to burrow, such as timber or firewood kept outside of homes.
Rats and mice can cause a number of health problems, so it’s important to take steps to prevent them from invading your home considering if you live in a state with a lot of rats and mice, such as:
Chicago
According to pest control company Orkin, Chicago is the “Rattiest City” in the United States. This is the company’s seventh consecutive year ranking Chicago as the most rat-infested city.
According to the current research, which ranked Chicago No. 1 for the sixth year in a row, rodents adore the Windy City.
As the pandemic prompted restaurants and bars to close, the Chicago Tribune reported in May 2020, “Chicago experienced an increase of rat complaints, with the critters scrambling to find other meals.”
Norway rats are a prevalent species in Chicago and throughout the United States. “They can get in through foundations and openings as small as an inch (24mm),” Orkin claims.
The city is aware of the issue and conducted a rat infestation study in 2018 that revealed a problem in high-density districts in Chicago’s north and northwest.
Los Angeles
According to Orkin, L.A.’s rodent population is booming, with the city maintaining its No. 2 ranking from 2019.
A soaring homeless population and limits on rodenticides are fueling an ever-increasing number of rodents in California, notably in Los Angeles, posing a public health threat.
The expansion in the homeless population, which provides a food source to support population growth.
With piles of rubbish and vermin among homeless encampments dotting downtown sidewalks, around three-quarters of the approximately 59,000 homeless persons counted in Los Angeles County were living outside, stoking concerns of a growing public health catastrophe.
As a consequence, it generates infestations of rats and mice.
The roof rat (Rattus Rattus) and the Norway rat (Rattus Norvegicus) are the two most common species of rats in and around Los Angeles County, California.
Both of these rats wreak havoc on homes as well as spread sickness.
New York
Two million rats live in the city, prospering on the streets, in sewers, in abandoned and not-so-abandoned buildings, in parks, subways, shoe stores, and restaurants.
The situation is deteriorating. Rat sightings surged by 40% in the first 11 months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, owing to budget cuts to waste collection and street-cleaning services.
At the same time, restaurant closures caused by the epidemic deprived rodents of a consistent source of food, forcing hungry mice to wander further and more openly in search of food.
Brown rats, also known as Norway rats, are the most common rodent in New York.
Pathogens that cause significant sickness in humans, particularly children, are carried by New York City rats.
These pathogens include bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as Salmonella and E. coli, as well as pathogens that cause serious and often deadly fevers and viruses.
Rats in New York are becoming so enormous as a result of the abundant food supply in this city.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., according to pest management business Orkin, has the fourth biggest rat population in the United States. That’s the same as in 2019—and one better than in 2018.
The Rodent Control Division of the D.C. The Department of Health (DOH) also published a statement last year, citing an increase in the number of rats.
The increase could be due to new buildings, milder winters in recent years, or improper rubbish storage.
The most common rodents in Washington are: Norway Rat, Roof Rats, Pack Rats, Kangaroo Rat, House Mouse and Wood Rats.
Orkin claims that the pandemic-related restaurant closures this spring pushed rodents to seek out new food sources, and that without food trash to eat, rats have been found scouring new regions and displaying odd or aggressive behavior these years.
San Francisco
San Francisco is awash in superlatives. It is both one of the most progressive and one of the most costly cities in the United States.
Some claim that San Francisco and its neighbor Silicon Valley are the most innovative cities in the world, or that they have the nicest climate in the country.
San Francisco, on the other hand, has earned the title as America’s fifth rattiest city.
According to a 2019 analysis by the political action committee Reform California, the increase in mouse populations in California cities was due to some local governments outlawing particular rodent-control measures, rather than environmental issues.
Homelessness, along with the resulting unsanitary circumstances, was also mentioned as a factor.
Rats, like people, have been adjusting to the “new normal” of pandemic life, according to Orkin. The research claims that as people moved out of cities during the start of Covid-19, rats followed them into more suburban areas.
Rats moved their sources of food when restaurants closed across the country, and they began to appear more regularly in households than they had before the pandemic.
Because San Francisco was quick to close stores and restaurants, it’s possible that many of the fair city’s rats went straight to their houses rather than seeking out local businesses.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the United States has a wide variety of cities that are infested with rats and mice.
These rodents are a risk to the entire population, public health, businesses, sanitation, and property damage.
When moving to another city or state, it is important to check the place for rodent infestation.
It is necessary to take pertinent actions to reduce the infestation more and more and prevent it in the future.
Rodent Exterminator is an expert company with over 30 years of experience in rodent extermination and control. We have the best professionals and the best services in all of Los Angeles!
Contact us as soon as possible so that your house is not part of the rodent infestation in the second city with the most mice and rats! Call us 213-431-0890
