Philly A Top 10 'Rattiest City' In Nation, Orkin List Says

PHILADELPHIA — When it comes to rat problems, the city has them - and the problem could be exacerbated this fall and winter because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Orkin has released its annual Top 50 Rattiest Cities List, ranking metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 2019 through August of this year. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

Philadelphia ranked seventh.

Orkin noted that the pandemic-driven closure of restaurants in the spring forced rodents to find new food sources. Without food waste to consume, the pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behavior.

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.

With people now spending more time at home this season, they should pay extra attention to the attractants that lure rates and mice.

"Rodents are experts at sniffing out food and shelter, and they're resilient in their ways to obtain both," Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said in a news release. "Residential properties offer the ideal habitat for rodents, and once they've settled in, they're capable of reproducing rapidly and in large quantities."

The cities with the most significant rat problems, according to Orkin:

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles
3. New York
4. Washington, D.C.
5. San Francisco
6. Detroit
7. Philadelphia
8. Baltimore
9. Denver
10. Minneapolis
11. Cleveland
12. Seattle
13. Boston
14. Atlanta
15. Indianapolis
16. Dallas-Fort Worth
17. Houston
18. Pittsburgh
19. San Diego
20. Miami

See the entire list here.