critter corner

Oh Rats! Philly Jumps to 6th Spot on ‘Rattiest Cities' List

Philadelphia jumped one spot year over year to No. 6 in Orkin's 2022 'Top 50 Rattiest Cities List'

NBC Universal, Inc.

What to Know

  • Philadelphia crawled into sixth place on Orkin’s "Top 50 Rattiest Cities List" for 2022.
  • The pest control company takes rodent treatments into account when compiling its list.
  • Chicago remained on top the "Rattiest" list. New York and Los Angeles rounded out the Top 3.

Philadelphia has a Top 10 rat problem.

Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10.

Watch button  WATCH HERE

That's according to pest control company Orkin that just ranked Philadelphia as sixth on its 2022 'Rattiest Cities List.'

Philly jumped ahead of Baltimore to take No. 6 on the new "Rattiest" list after a seventh-place finish in 2021. Chicago maintained the top spot for the eighth consecutive year, while New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco rounded out the Top 5.

Get top local Philly stories delivered to you every morning with NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.

Newsletter button  SIGN UP

Orkin doesn't actually count the number of rats or the cities with the most rats, but rather how often their workers responded to infestations.

"Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments," Monday's news release from Orkin said.

The pest control company notes signs of rodents, including droppings, gnaw marks, nests, run marks and strange noises. The mice and rats might carry diseases.

"Rodent infestations are among the top pest issues of the fall and winter seasons," Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said in a news release. "Not only are mice and rats a nuisance, but they are known to spread a variety of dangerous diseases, including Salmonella and Hantavirus."

Orkin lists a variety of things you can do in your home to prevent rats and mice before an infestation occurs.

Contact Us