Chicago is named the rat capital of the US for the sixth year running with LA second, NYC third and Baltimore breaking into the top 10

Chicago has been named the rat capital of the United States for the sixth year running with Los Angeles coming in second, New York City third and Baltimore breaking into the top 10. 

The Windy City came out on top yet again after pest control specialists Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September last year to August 31, 2020. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

San Diego has risen 13 spots to number 19 in the far from illustrious list. 

In May it was reported rats had become even more aggressive in their search for food in US cities as their supply dried up amid coronavirus restaurant lockdowns. 

CHICAGO: Chicago, pictured, came out on top yet again after cities were ranked by the number of new rodent treatments performed over a year (file photo)

NEW YORK CITY: Chicago has been named the rat capital of the United States for the sixth year running with Los Angeles coming in second, New York City, pictured, third and Baltimore breaking into the top 10

THE TOP TEN RATTIEST CITIES IN THE US 

  1. Chicago

 2. Los Angeles

3. New York

4. Washington, D.C.

5. San Francisco

6. Detroit

7. Philadelphia (+3)

8. Baltimore (+4)

9. Denver

10. Minneapolis (-2)

Things became so serious that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a new advisory alerting people to be aware of 'aggressive rodent behavior' on the unsuspecting public. 

'Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas,' the CDC said at the rime. 

'Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food.'

The advisory added: 'Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior.'

The CDC also suggested that homeowners and restaurant owners check their properties and seal up holes where rats might be able to sneak inside and feast on garbage.

In April it was reported that some rats have even resorted to cannibalism as the hunt for food becomes more difficult. 

'A restaurant all of a sudden closes now, which has happened by the thousands in not just New York City but coast to coast and around the world, and those rats that were living by that restaurant, some place nearby, and perhaps for decades having generations of rats that depended on that restaurant food, well, life is no longer working for them, and they only have a couple of choices,' urban rodentologist  Bobby Corrigan told NBC News.         

WASHINGTON DC: Pest control specialists Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September last year to August 31, 2020. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

In May the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a new advisory alerting people to be aware of 'aggressive rodent behavior' on the unsuspecting public (file photo)

Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said: 'Rodents are experts at sniffing out food and shelter, and they're resilient in their ways to obtain both.

'Residential properties offer the ideal habitat for rodents, and once they've settled in, they're capable of reproducing rapidly and in large quantities.'

 'Unfortunately, rodents can cause great damage in and around homes,' Hottel added.

The full list of most rat infested cities in the US according to Orkin; 1. Chicago; 2. Los Angeles; 3. New York; 4. Washington, D.C.; 5. San Francisco; 6. Detroit; 7. Philadelphia (+3); 8. Baltimore (+4); 9. Denver; 10. Minneapolis (-2); 11. Cleveland, Oh. (-4); 12. Seattle (+1); 13. Boston (+1); 14. Atlanta (-3); 15. Indianapolis (+1); 16. Dallas-Fort Worth (-1); 17. Houston; 18. Pittsburgh; 19. San Diego (+13); 20. Miami (-1); 21. New Orleans (+6); 22. Cincinnati (+1); 23. Portland, Or. (-1); 24. Milwaukee (-4); 25. Norfolk, Va. (+1); 26. Raleigh, N.C. (-2); 27. Hartford, Conn. (-2); 28. Columbus, Oh (-7); 29. Grand Rapids; 30. Kansas City (+8); 31. Charlotte, N.C. (-3); 32. Phoenix (5);  33. Richmond, Va. (-3); 34. Nashville; 35. Greenville, S.C. (-2); 36. Sacramento (+5); 37. St. Louis (-6); 38. Albany, New York (+10); 39. Champaign, Ill. (-3); 40. Green Bay (+18); 41. Tampa (-1); 42. Flint, Mich. (+3); 43. Buffalo, New York (-8); 44. Syracuse (-5); 45. Knoxville (+14); 46. Orlando (-3); 47. Burlington, Va. (+2); 48. Albuquerque (+19); 49. Dayton (-2); 50. West Palm Beach (+3)