The ‘Rattiest’ Cities in Michigan

Pest control company Orkin has reported that every fall, approximately 21 million American homes are invaded by mice and other rodents. Between October and February, these pests are looking for food, shelter from the cold, and water.

"Rodents multiply swiftly and when an infestation is left unattended, they can cause extensive damage to homes and yards," said Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist. "Rats are capable of squeezing into spaces through holes as small as a quarter, which makes it especially important to seal cracks from the outside."

The pest control company released its annual list of the top 50 most infested rat cities. These rankings are determined by the number of new rodent control services requested, thus indicating the extent of demand and the efforts made by residents and businesses to combat rodent problems. It’s worth mentioning that their ranking includes both residential and commercial pest control services.

Unfortunately, three cities in Michigan have earned a place on the list of “rattiest” cities, with one in the top 10. In this year's rankings, Detroit was at number 9, Grand Rapids was at number 25, and Flint was at number 43.

At the top of their ranking is Chicago. They have maintained their position as the city with the highest rodent activity in the United States for the ninth consecutive year. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has reclaimed the second position, and New York has moved down to third place. Washington, D.C., and San Francisco are the top five cities on the list.

Orkin offers valuable recommendations for preventing rats and mice from invading your home. One of the most critical steps is not to leave food out. Store grains, cereals, and crumbs in sealed containers to prevent rodents from finding food sources. Additionally, declutter your living space and avoid leaving cardboard items out, as rodents use them for nests.

Moreover, your home's surroundings play a vital role in rodent prevention. Keep tall grass, woodpiles, and tree branches away from your home to deter rodents from finding shelter and entry points. To proactively combat rodent infestations, it's recommended that you regularly inspect both the interior and exterior of your home for signs such as droppings, burrows, and rub marks along baseboards and walls.

Lastly, address any cracks or holes that could serve as access points for rodents. Consider installing weather strips around entryways, especially under doors, to create an effective barrier against unwanted intruders.

Take a look at the full list here.

It's completely normal to feel angry at some point in life. Some people are better at dealing with anger than others. Some people are just angrier than others. And it turns out,  some states are angrier than others.

Michigan ranked number 10 on Best Life's angriest states in America survey. They created an Anger Index that consisted of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most recent Fatality Analysis Reporting System and info by Auto Insurance Center, to determine the amount of each state's fatal accidents involving road rage.

Best Life also used the FBI's hate crime data to analyze hate crimes per capita, which they say is often motivated by anger. Their results showed that, on average, America isn't all that angry. But Michigan made the top 10 along with states from the West, Midwest, Northeast, and South.

Here are the 10 top angriest states in America.

Michigan ranked number 10 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 33.08. Though Michigan’s fatalities caused by road rage is only 0.1 percent, its hate crimes per capita is at 7.7 percent.

Massachusetts ranked number 9 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 37.39. Toxic internet comments were a part of the study and this state scored high with 6.8 percent. Massachusetts hate crimes per capita is at 5.63. Lower than Michigan's in the number 10 spot.

New Jersey ranked number 8 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 42.83 percent. New Jersey also made it onto Alcohol.org's angriest states list.

Connecticut ranked number 7 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 43.08 percent. The state has 5.7 percent of fatalities caused by road rage with a low road rage fatalities per capita at 0.4 percent.

Washington ranked number 6 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 46.90 percent. They also served up a high toxic internet comments percentage of 6.8 according to the Best Life study.

Vermont ranked number 5 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 55.34 percent. Though the fatalities caused by road rage are at zero percent. The state is at 5.29 percent hate crimes per capita.

Indiana ranked number 4 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 64.20. The state also came in with high percentages with fatalities caused by road rage at 10 percent and hate crimes per capita at 1.11 percent.

South Carolina ranked number 3 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 70.42 percent. The state's high toxic internet comments percentage was at 9.8 percent according to the Best Life study.

Colorado ranked number 2 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 70.42. Their road rage per capita is low at 0.9 percent. However, the study shows that fatalities caused by road rage in Colorado are at 9.5%. 

Alabama ranked number 1 on Best Life's Angriest States in America list with an anger index score of 100. The only 100 anger index score on the list. At the time of the study Alabama had limited data on hate crimes per capita.