January 17, 2017
Philadelphia secured the top spot on a not-so-desirable list, but the ranking is sure to make exterminators in the area happy.
Households in the city are the most vermin-infested living spaces in the nation, according to a Bloomberg Magazine analysis of U.S. Census data released this month examining the 25 most populous metropolitan areas.
Approximately 18 percent of Philly residents reported seeing evidence of mice and rats in the American Housing Survey, which is conducted every two years by the government.
Pest control experts say rodents are more common in older cities with colder climates. The figures reflect that as Philly eked past Boston, New York and Washington D.C. on the list.
Philly residents have a better handle on another kind of pest: cockroaches. Only about eight percent of city households reported a problem with the bug, ranking Philly No. 13 on the list.
New Orleans topped the list as the most cockroach-plagued city in the U.S., which makes sense since experts say areas with warmer, wetter climates usually have problems with roaches.
The government data suggested that economic status had little impact on infestation. Households earning more than $120,000 annually reported a higher rate of rodent problems than poorer households in more than a third of the cities surveyed.
According to Philly's health department, rats are some of the most troublesome and damaging rodents in the country. On the city's website, health officials offer suggestions on how to control rodent problems.
