DC Ranks in Top Five For Rattiest Cities in America

Alicia Abelson
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON, DC — (WMAL) According to a list released by Orkin pest control, the District of Columbia is now the third most rat-infested city in the United States.

Chicago tops the list of having the most rat-related service requests with New York City falling behind in second place.

Why so many rats you ask? Well as stated by Orkin, fall is the start of rodent season. In a press release, The Technical Director of Orkin’s Midwest Reason John Kane said “fall evenings as mild as those in the mid-50’s can send rodents indoors to search for warmth, where they can cause hundreds of dollars in damages to homes and businesses.”

The D.C. Department of Health reported that there were more than 3,000 rat-related complaints in the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Orkin says that rat-related service calls has jumped to 57 percent in D.C. over the last two years.

The top ten rattiest cities in America include Baltimore too, which ranks at number six.

Here are Orkin’s top 20 rattiest cities in America:

1. Chicago

2. New York

3. Washington D.C.

4. Los Angeles

5. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose

6. Baltimore

7. Philadelphia

8. Minneapolis-St. Paul

9. Detroit

10. Denver