After 10 long years of rodent rule, Chicago can finally breathe, if only through a rat-free ventilation system.
Pest control giant Orkin has declared Los Angeles the “Rattiest City” in America, dethroning the Windy City and proving that what L.A. lacks in affordable rent, it makes up for in rat real estate.
In classic Hollywood style, Los Angeles didn’t just edge past Chicago; it made an entrance. Warm weather, endless food trucks, and miles of cozy nooks between glitzy restaurants and forgotten dumpsters created the perfect rodent paradise. The city’s unique mix of glamour and grime practically begs for a reality show: “Keeping Up with the Critters.”
According to Orkin, the reshuffling says a lot about changing rodent habits. Milder winters, sprawling developments, and the ever-growing human buffet have made cities across the country more appealing to whiskered squatters. The company’s rankings are based on new rodent service calls between August 2024 and August 2025, a sort of census for unwanted tenants.
Chicago is hardly rat-free; it slipped to No. 2, followed by New York, where its subways continue to serve as an all-you-can-eat rodent resort. San Francisco, at No. 4, remains a repeat offender, though perhaps its tech start-ups will eventually create an app to evict rats remotely.
California leads the nation in rodent representation, with four cities making the top 50: Los Angeles (1), San Francisco (4), Sacramento (19), and San Diego (24). Clearly, the Golden State is also the Gnaw-den State.
Here are Orkin’s top 10 rattiest cities: Los Angeles; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Hartford, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; Philadelphia; Minneapolis; and Denver.
In an unexpected twist, Orkin even offered commemorative “Rattiest City: Los Angeles” T-shirts, perhaps as a way to help residents embrace their new title with a sense of humor. Or despair.
Still, there’s a serious side to this year’s ranking. Rodents thrive on the same essentials as humans: food, shelter, and water. Their adaptability, combined with increasingly mild weather, helps them survive and multiply, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As temperatures drop, millions of homeowners face the annual migration of rodents looking for warmth, and sometimes a snack.
“Rats and mice are more than a nuisance; they’re opportunists,” said Orkin entomologist Ian Williams. “If there’s food, warmth, and a way in, they’ll find it. And once inside, their constant chewing and rapid reproduction can quickly turn a small issue into a large, expensive one.”
Those little teeth are no joke, either. A rat’s bite ranks 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. Tough as iron. That’s strong enough to chew through walls, wiring, and even steel garbage cans.
For now, Los Angeles holds the dubious “Rattiest” crown, and the rest of the nation can only watch, or shudder, as the rats of Hollywood bask in their moment in the spotlight.
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