This Louisiana City Is One Of The 'Rattiest' In The Country

Over the past year, many people have found themselves staying at home more often, working from home, ordering takeout and avoiding public transportation. This decrease in human activity has led to an increase in reports of rodents spotted in major cities around the country.

Pest control company Orkin recently released its list of the 50 "rattiest" cities in the U.S. following a year in which the pandemic inadvertently brought rodents out of the shadows in search of new food sources.

"As people resume normal activities, food availability will rise," said Ben Hottel, Orkin entomologist. "Rodents are experts at sniffing out food and shelter, and they're resilient in their ways to obtain both. After a year of depleted resources, residential properties offer the ideal habitat for rodents, and once they've settled in, they're capable of reproducing rapidly in large quantities."

Chicago remained undefeated in the No. 1 spot for the seventh year in a row, followed by other major cities like Los Angeles and New York City. While it may make sense that cities filled with millions of residents, and even more tourists, have reported a rise in rodent activity, other cities in the list may come as a surprise, including one in the Pelican State.

So which Louisiana city made the list of "rattiest" cities in America?

New Orleans

The Crescent City was the only city in Louisiana to find a spot on the list, coming in at No. 33. To help prevent rats inside a residence, Orkin advises to keep food stored away, clean up clutter around the house, and keep an eye out for signs of an infestation, such as rat droppings and burrows.

Here are the Top 10 rattiest cities in the country, according to Orkin:

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles
3. New York
4. Washington, D.C.
5. San Francisco
6. Baltimore (+2)
7. Philadelphia
8. Detroit (-2)
9. Denver
10. Cleveland, Ohio (+1)

Check out the full report here.