Reuters posted an article ranking the nation's top cities and their potential for Rodent Infestation. Chicago moves up the list 2 spaces since 2007, taking the #6 spot. The list nominates New York City in the top spot for both 2007 and 2009, although other East Coast cities fared better: Boston dropped below Chicago to #7, and Baltimore and Washington DC are both dropped from the 2009 list, having previously been higher up than Chicago.
The study used "U.S. Census Bureau data in combination with a host of key factors, including city revenue spent on infrastructure maintenance, climatic factors which affect rodent populations along with records of pest control sales." The study also "included new U.S. Bureau of Labor data on municipal rates of unemployment and foreclosure filings to revise their assessment from their 2007 report."The takeaway message for Chicago is simple, but with complex overtones. While the city cannot control variables like warmer winters or even foreclosure rates, maintaining infrastructure and funding prevention measures can be addressed. And for a city that is already underfunding infrastructure, the cheaper the better.
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