NYC Rat Activity Report 2025
New York City recorded 31,312 rodent complaints through 311 in 2025, down 21.2 percent from 39,726 in 2024. That works out to 37.25 complaints per 10,000 residents, the lowest rate in the five years this report covers. Brooklyn accounted for the largest share at 11,045, followed by Manhattan at 8,631, Queens at 5,401, the Bronx at 5,105 and Staten Island at 1,130.
One neighborhood shapes the citywide picture more than any other. East Harlem (North) logged 1,418 complaints against a population of 38,862, a rate of 364.88 per 10,000 residents. That number needs context. Harlem is one of the city's designated Rat Mitigation Zones, where sustained inspection and outreach actively encourage residents to report activity. Higher reported figures in these zones reflect more reporting, not necessarily more pest pressure than comparable areas outside them.
- Complaints citywide
- 31,312
- Change from 2024
- -21.2%
- Highest borough rate
- Manhattan
- Highest neighborhood rate
- East Harlem (North)
37.25 per 10,000 residents
from 39,726 complaints
53.78 per 10,000 residents
364.88 per 10,000 residents
Citywide trend, 2021 to 2025
| Year | Complaints | Per 10k | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38,809 | 46.17 | Not available |
| 2022 | 41,121 | 48.92 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 41,748 | 49.67 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 39,726 | 47.26 | -4.8% |
| 2025 | 31,312 | 37.25 | -21.2% |
Activity by borough
| Borough | Complaints | Per 10k | Change | Most affected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | 8,631 | 53.78 | -15.4% | East Harlem (North) (364.88) |
| Brooklyn | 11,045 | 42.75 | -26.8% | Prospect Heights (111.92) |
| Bronx | 5,105 | 36.15 | -14.4% | Highbridge (99.5) |
| Queens | 5,401 | 23.39 | -25.1% | Astoria (North)-Ditmars-Steinway (64.85) |
| Staten Island | 1,130 | 22.83 | -9.4% | West New Brighton-Silver Lake-Grymes Hill (41.68) |
Neighborhoods with the most reported activity
The full ranking of 2025 neighborhoods, ordered by complaints per 10,000 residents, with raw totals alongside.
View the neighborhood rankingHow this report is built
Data source
Every figure comes from NYC 311 service requests with a complaint type of Rodent, filed between January 1 and December 31 of the report year. Counts are pulled directly from the city's open data platform, dataset fhrw-4uyv, and are not adjusted or smoothed.
Neighborhood names
311 records a zip code, not a neighborhood. Zip codes are USPS delivery routes and neighborhoods are built from census tracts, so the two do not nest and no official crosswalk exists. Each zip is assigned to the NYC Department of City Planning Neighborhood Tabulation Area holding the largest share of its residents, estimated from the published zip to census tract land area intersections and American Community Survey population. Assigning by land area alone would send several zips to parks and cemeteries, so population is the weighting used here.
What a plurality assignment means
Because a single zip can span several neighborhoods, many assignments reflect a plurality of residents rather than all of them. A zip credited to one neighborhood may include blocks that residents would name differently. Treat neighborhood level figures as a close approximation, and borough and citywide figures as exact.
Reporting is self selected
311 counts reported activity, not rat populations. Areas where residents call more readily will register higher, and the city's Rat Mitigation Zones combine inspection and outreach that actively raise reporting. A high figure can reflect an engaged community or an active city program as much as underlying pest pressure.
Coverage
176 complaints (0.56 percent of the citywide total) came from zip codes outside the neighborhood crosswalk, including a few newer zips and a small number of records filed against zips outside the five boroughs. Those complaints are included in the citywide and borough totals and excluded from the neighborhood breakdown.
Graduate Pest Control works with property owners and managers across New York City and Long Island. If you are dealing with rodent activity at your property, our rodent control specialists can help.