Weekly Rat Trends — Sep 14–Sep 20, 2026

Chicago logged 1,215 new rat and rodent reports this week — up 15% from 1,056 the week before.

👑 West Englewood takes this week’s Rat King crown with 105 reports — wear it with pride, or shame, your call.

📈 On the rise

Neighborhoods with the biggest jump from last week:

• West Englewood: 105 this week, up from 13 — a jump of +92
• New City: 47 this week, up from 8 — a jump of +39
• West Ridge: 38 this week, up from 17 — a jump of +21

📉 Rat-free heroes

Neighborhoods that quieted down the most:

• Portage Park: down to 47 from 74 — 27 fewer reports
• Lower West Side: down to 10 from 26 — 16 fewer reports
• Lincoln Square: down to 28 from 38 — 10 fewer reports

🏙️ How fast is the city actually moving?

The city resolved 1,036 baiting requests this week, averaging 11.3 days from complaint to resolution (slower than the 11.2-day average the week before).

🐀 The rats’ favorite wards

Where a baiting request can really stretch its legs before getting closed:

• Ward 14: 14.6 days on average (4 closed this week)
• Ward 16: 13.7 days on average (21 closed this week)
• Ward 35: 13.7 days on average (27 closed this week)

⚡ No mercy wards

Where the city shows up and doesn’t mess around:

• Ward 42: 6.4 days on average (9 closed this week)
• Ward 50: 7.1 days on average (14 closed this week)
• Ward 21: 7.6 days on average (16 closed this week)

⏳ Still waiting

A complaint at 7516 S SANGAMON ST in Auburn Gresham has been open 10 days and counting — the longest of anything filed this week. Godspeed.

Want the underlying data? Browse every sighting from this week on the live map and table.