Exterminator Names Top Ten American Cities for Rats — There's One Big Thing They Have in Common

It may happen in a lot of other places, but here in the Midwest, as the nights get cooler, we tend to see lots of critters like spiders trying to come into the house to warm up. As long as I have something heavy to smack 'em with, I can handle spiders. But people who are in the business of killing critters recently released a very different list of American cities with an infestation far worse than a spider or two.

Pest control company Terminix just dropped its annual list of the 50 most rodent-infested cities in the country. Full story here: https://t.co/UMfwfeR8qf https://t.co/ZbLrswz4Jh

— KRON4 News (@kron4news) October 9, 2026

National pest control company Terminix released its top 10 list of the most rat-infested cities. The list is based on data from over 300 of the pest control company's branches across the country from 2025 that received the most calls for service. It might not be a surprise that New York City and Los Angeles came in at numbers one and two, respectively; this year Philadelphia came in at number three. However, one thing that might be surprising is that a new Midwestern city has entered the Top 10 for the first time. 

Some of the other returning rat-infested champs included Houston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Dallas. The newcomer this year, moving up from 11 to 10, is Detroit. The Motor City has apparently been working on moving up the rodent ladder for a while. Back in 2023, current Mayor Mary Sheffield was president of the City Council. She stated then that: 

"In a recent community meeting that I held, rodent infestations were a main complaint among our residents. [Residents] shared that many demolition properties become homes for rat infestation."

Some things never change. But while issues such as large populations, abundant food sources, and lots of places for rats to hide were a few of the things all the cities on the list had in common, there was one very big thing that, like rats, is hard to overlook. Except for Dallas, every city on the list is run by Democrats. 

Let’s talk about RAT city in DC … I mean what are they feeding these things they look like cats ..

— Annyona Smith✨🙏🏾🙌🏽⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@SmithAnnyona) October 12, 2026

RedState's own Ward Clark has chronicled, for quite some time, the downfall of once great American cities. In the last few years, not just New York or LA, but places like Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and other places close to home, like St. Louis, where it is easy to see the results of decades of Democrat rule. High taxes, regulations, and soft-on-crime justice systems are all causes. But also, combine that with rampant homelessness issues that every one of these cities has. It doesn't take an army of urban planners to figure out that thousands of homeless people living on the streets equals a substantial rat problem. In Los Angeles alone, in 2025, cases of typhus have been rising steadily since 2010. In 2025, Los Angeles County recorded its largest number of cases ever recorded at 220. 

The rat problems of these cities and many others will not get any better if Democrats are successful in the upcoming midterm elections, given their belief that homeless encampments are "compassionate." The solution to the problem might be as simple as this: Don't want rats, don't elect Democrats.

Boston has been ranked the 8th most RODENT-INFESTED city in America. According to Terminix, Boston moved up one spot in its 2026 ranking, based on rodent control services in 2025. 1 NYC 2 LA 3 Philadelphia 4 San Francisco 5 Houston 6 Chicago 7 DC 8 Boston

— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) October 6, 2026

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