Which U.S. city as of 2017 is the most vermin-infested with rats and cockroaches?

The city of New York is the most vermin-infested (rats and cockroaches), coming in third on the list for rats and ninth for roaches. New York is the double-fisted king of unhealthy vermin, with 16 percent of households reporting roaches and 15 percent reporting rodents (rats). It is the only city to reach double-digits for both types of vermin. To fully appreciate the size of New York's (the Big Apple's) pest population, it's necessary to consider the numbers in aggregate. Some 1.2 million households saw evidence of cockroaches by January 2017; 1.3 million saw signs of rats.

As in the 14th century when the Bubonic Plague (transmitted by fleas that traveled on the backs of rats) wiped out a third of Europe's human population, today in modern times, the U.S. American Housing Survey (AHS) points out that rats (many infested) are responsible for a huge amount of food waste, while the saliva, feces, and shed body parts of common cockroaches can trigger asthma and allergies in humans and animals.

Overall the data obtained from the AHS surveys and others demonstrates a geographical influence on which pests, and how many of them, are most likely to infest homes in specific U.S. cities. For example, cockroaches and rats are more commonly found in larger cities with overall warm to hot climates. Other vermin such as mice, lice, and bedbugs are more likely to invade homes in areas with small or average populations and cool climates.