SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Orkin, an American company that provides residential and commercial pest control services, on Thursday released its list of the most rat-infested cities.
The list, which includes the top 50 cities, is compiled by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 2020 to September 2021.
Chicago took the top spot for the seventh consecutive year, and two California cities made the top five — including one Bay Area city.
The top 10 is as follows:
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Baltimore
- Philadelphia
- Detroit
- Denver
- Cleveland, Oh.
Other California cities that made the list were San Diego and Sacramento, at No. 17 and No. 29.
New to the list was Portland, Maine and Louisville, Kentucky.
Orkin attributes an increase in rodents visibility to the coronavirus pandemic.
The closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources. Without food waste to consume, pests were often seen scavenging new areas.
The presence of rodents became so relevant that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Rodent Control guidance on ways to keep rats and mice out of homes and businesses.