Rat infestations are problems that most large cities around the world face. Where there are many people, there is a lot of trash, whether it is under control or not, and where there is trash, there are rats.
In the big cities of the world, rats and mice are a constant problem for residents and local governments, and it's no wonder: they damage property and create significant public health problems.
Rats eat anything, they are omnivorous. In urban areas, they feed on waste or stored food. In non-urban areas, they eat fruits, roots, small mammals, insects, and other materials. They can also prey on bird nests and hunt small fish. Cannibalism is widespread in the species.
The mating lasts from two to three seconds, and after a gestation period of around a month, the rat can give birth to 5 to 22 individuals, which it deposits inside the burrow or nest, where it prepares a bed with plant material and fur. The newborns are born naked, with closed eyes, no fur, no hearing ability, and weighing only 5 to 6 grams.
They are very agile, they can climb even the smoothest walls, swim very well, and can even dig. They navigate perfectly in the darkness. The flexibility of their skeleton allows them to enter homes through narrow holes. Their ability to gnaw on various materials is such that it allows them to bore through wood to lead pipes.
In that sense, and in times of listings for all kinds of topics, we took on the task of finding out which are the cities in the United States and the world with the most rats.
The Orkin company ranking
For the tenth consecutive year, Chicago has secured the top spot on the list of "The 50 US Cities With the Most Rats", a ranking prepared by the company Orkin, which has over 120 years of experience in pest control.
When revealing the results of 2024, they pointed out that the abundance of alleys in Chicago provides rodents with hidden shelters, offering plenty of space to hide while feasting on garbage.
Rodents also love to dig, finding shelter under subway tracks or around underground pipes. In these hidden places, the rodent population can grow if not controlled.
The data for this year was collected by tracking new residential rodent treatments between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.
1. Chicago, Illinois
2. Los Angeles, California
3. New York, New York
4. San Francisco, California
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Denver, Colorado
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8. Detroit, Michigan
9. Baltimore, Maryland
10. Cleveland, Ohio
The ranking of the company Terminix
On the other hand, Terminix, another company that offers pest control, prevention, and elimination services, also ranked the cities with the most rats in the United States, resulting in the following Top 10:
1. New York, New York
2. San Francisco, California
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Chicago, Illinois
7. Houston, Texas
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. Dallas, Texas
10. Atlanta, Georgia
The global ranking of the company Private Exterminator
For a more comprehensive list, Private Exterminator, specialists in pest control, revealed their ranking of the 25 cities in the world with the most rats:
1. Chicago, USA
2. New York, USA.
3. Washington, D.C., USA.
4. Boston, USA
5. Minneapolis, USA
6. Detroit, USA
7. Cleveland, USA
8. Singapore
9. San Francisco, USA.
10. London, England
Topito ranking
Similarly, Topito, a French website known for its rankings and lists, as well as quirky entertainment, current events, and curiosities news, prepared its own global list:
1. Deshnok, India
2. London, England
3. New York, United States
4. Paris, France
5. Singapore
6. Hamelin, Germany
7. Canton, China
8. Johannesburg, South Africa
9. Atlanta, United States
10. Marseille, France
There is no exact way to know in which cities of the world there are more rats, either in total or per capita, and estimates are based on "sightings", reports, and requests for pest control services. However, it is a fact that rodents are not only a nuisance, but they can also cause serious public health problems and significant damage to property.
Rat infestations can lead to the transmission of diseases and food contamination, making their control a priority.
Deshnok
The Karni Mata temple in Deshnok, in northwest India, has a beautiful entrance of carved marble. The shining white contrasts with the brightly painted pink walls. This temple is not visited for its silver statues or filigree columns, but for its permanent residents: around 25,000 rats. They are not there due to hygiene neglect, but because they are the descendants of Karni Mata, one of the avatars of the fearsome goddess Durga.
The rats appear in every imaginable corner, you have to walk cautiously and look carefully where you step. The animals tend to approach to sniff at strangers, and it is said that it brings good luck if one of them walks over your foot. Hindus come here with great veneration, and every morning the priests serve huge containers filled with cut fruits and vegetables and trays of milk so that the rats are well fed.
It is important to be very attentive to try to locate one of the scarce white specimens that inhabit the place, as that visual contact is considered highly auspicious and implies an increase in material wealth in the life of the one who has had it.