Rats are cute and cuddly to some pet owners but wild rats are not to be reckoned with. They can do severe damage to property, especially when looking for food. If you were to assume rats are flocking to businesses with food those places need extensive pest control. Where would you guess rats went when restaurants were closed during the pandemic? One thing is certain, rats made a big impact on two cities in Illinois.

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Rats are like tiny Sawzalls. The little bastards can gnaw their way through plastic, wood, soft concrete, and wire coatings. This can lead to expensive damage and possibly even fires. When the signs of rats start appearing pest control companies receive calls quickly, without a doubt. One of those companies reviewed its own data over the course of the year and used it for a not-so-pleasant list.

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What Are The Most Rat-Infested Cities In America?

Both Illinois and Wisconsin landed on Orkin's cringy list. They looked at data from September 15, 2020, to exactly one year later to the day to determine the ranking. Remember, this is when most restaurants and businesses were closed.

Those closures forced rats to find new food sources — and new homes. All this drove up the overall number of rodent sightings.

Wisconsin was unable to escape this list and some people will facetiously smirk when they learn which city was one of the most rat-infested in the entire United States. It was Madison and not Milwaukee. These rats came from the same city rats throw on green and gold during the fall and winter. At #45, Green Bay is one of the top cities for rats.

Illinois Has Two Rat-Fested Cities

Don't get all offended, Wisconsinites. This article is written by a disgruntled Chicago Bears fan. And, on top of that, the Land Of Lincoln has two spots on the list, that's gross. First, at #37, the honor(?) goes to Champaign. But, the position pales in comparison to the other Illinois city on this list. The #1 rat-infested city in all of America (from 2020-2021) was Chicago. Check out the full list here.

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