There are some titles that U.S. cities really want to compete for: best restaurants, most walkable, best place to visit in the winter, and best place to visit in the summer. There are other titles, though, that U.S. cities are really vying not to receive. One of those is definitely Orkin’s naming of America’s Rattiest City.
For the last 10 years, the city bearing that burden has been Chicago. But for the first time in a decade, another destination has been awarded the dubious accolade. To determine this year’s most rat-infested city, Orkin reported that it tracked which one had the most “new rodent services in owner-occupied residences from August 20, 2024, to August 21, 2025.”
Based on this data, Los Angeles has been named the “Rattiest City in America.”
In the complete list of the 50 most rat-infested urban centers, four different cities in California were actually represented: Los Angeles in the top spot, San Francisco at No. 4, Sacramento at No. 19, and San Diego at No. 24.
Chicago didn’t do much better this year—it only moved down to the No. 2 spot on the list. Orkin reported that though it is no longer the worst for rats, the Midwest gem “continues to battle high levels of rodent activity across its dense urban landscape.”
Beyond the general icky vibes that rats have, they also pose a huge structural problem. “Rats and mice are more than a nuisance—they’re opportunists,” Ian Williams, an Orkin entomologist, said in a release obtained by Travel + Leisure. “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.”
While this isn’t exactly the type of wanderlust news that makes you want to book a flight to one of these “rattiest” cities any time soon, don’t let it completely dissuade you. Anywhere where there’s food and infrastructure, there’ll be rodents. “Rodents are highly adaptive and are drawn to the same resources humans need: shelter, food, and water,” Orkin’s report explained. “They thrive in moderate weather, which increases their chances of survival and supports ongoing population growth. Meanwhile, urban sprawl continues to create new access points and opportunities for infestation.”
And sometimes, a few unwelcome fuzzy friends (foes?) are worth the price for unforgettable meals, stunning architecture, and epicenters of culture. These are the top 10 cities for rat infestations in the United States in 2025:
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- New York City
- San Francisco
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Washington, D.C.
- Detroit
- Philadelphia
- Minneapolis
- Denver
Read the full article here