DC is one of the most rat-infested cities nationwide

WASHINGTON — The bad news is D.C. ranks No. 5 on Orkin’s annual list of Top 50 Rattiest Cities this year. The good news is that’s down from No. 3 where the District ranked last year.

Orkin’s annual list is based on the number of rodent treatments the company performed this year from Sept. 15, 2016 to Sept. 15, 2017. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

Chicago ranks No. 1 on the rattiest cities list for the third straight year. New York City ranks No. 2, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Baltimore ranks No. 8 this year, down from No. 6 last year.

The National Pest Management Association says more than 20 million rodents invade homes each year, and without much effort.

“Rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter, while mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime,” said John Kane, entomologist and technical director of Orkin’s Midwest Region.

“Even if they can’t find an opening, they can often chew their way in.”

They also can cause cracks in a home’s foundation by burrowing.

Here is Orkin’s 2017 list of the Top Rattiest Cities:

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Los Angeles (+1)
4. San Francisco – Oakland (+1)
5. D.C. (-2)
6. Philadelphia (+1)
7. Detroit (+2)
8. Baltimore (-2)
9. Seattle – Tacoma
10. Dallas – Ft. Worth (+4)
11. Denver (-1)
12. Minneapolis – St. Paul (-4)
13. Cleveland – Akron (+2)
14. Atlanta (+2)
15. Boston (-3)
16. Hartford – New Haven (+1)
17. Portland, OR (+3)
18. Miami – Ft. Lauderdale (-5)
19. Indianapolis
20. Houston (+1)
21. Milwaukee (+2)
22. Pittsburgh (-4)
23. New Orleans (+15)
24. Cincinnati (+10)
25. Richmond – Petersburg
26. Sacramento – Stockton (+6)
27. Kansas City (+3)
28. Charlotte (-1)
29. Norfolk – Portsmouth – Newport News (-5)
30. Buffalo (-1)
31. Columbus, OH (+6)
32. St. Louis (-4)
33. Raleigh – Durham (-11)
34. Grand Rapids – Kalamazoo (-1)
35. San Diego (+12)
36. Albany – Schenectady (-10)
37. San Antonio
38. Tampa – St. Petersburg (-7)
39. Rochester, NY (-4)
40. Nashville (-1)
41. Champaign – Springfield – Decatur
42. Greenville – Spartanburg (-2)
43. Memphis
44. Phoenix (+1)
45. Syracuse
46. West Palm Beach (-10)
47. Orlando – Daytona Beach (-1)
48. Madison (+1)
49. Flint – Saginaw (-8)
50. Green Bay – Appleton (-6)