Rat complaint calls to NYC311 down in 2024 compared to 2023, data shows
NEW YORK — New York City's war on rats appears to be working, with rat complaint calls to 311 down by more 25% in 2024 compared to the year before, officials say.
According to 311, Hell's Kitchen saw a 34% drop in complaints compared to last year, and on the Upper West Side, there was a 19% drop.
City Councilmember Gale Brewer says container laws for every-sized dwelling and business are making a difference. Popping up more and more are rat-proof, heavy bins outside commercial businesses and some big residential buildings.
"Rats have gone way down, population, in sightings ... definitely 20 percent to 30 percent," Brewer said.
City Department of Sanitation officials estimate 70% of all trash has been moved out of bags and into containers, and that percentage is expected to rise as more large residential buildings are added to the effort.
New Yorkers believe demolishing dining sheds helped rat problem
Another factor – when some outdoor dining sheds disappeared, some rats seemed to do the same.
At one intersection in Hell's Kitchen, until recently, there were dining sheds on three corners. Now, they're all gone, and restaurant workers say they see a difference.
"They left. I don't know where ... They're somewhere, but not here," one restaurant worker said.
Kevin Rivera, a building porter, says he went from seeing six to eight rats every morning on his walk to work to seeing one or none.
"It's a lot more manageable," he said. "It's just been a lot helpful since putting out these bins, more enforced on a sanitation level. The bins really helped a lot, outside of the whole outside dining thing being demolished and stuff like that, the rat traffic just went down crazy."
"It is getting better in this block anyway," Midtown resident Troy Holmes said. "I believe the dining sheds definitely made a difference. Definitely made a difference. The rat infestation, you couldn't walk on the sidewalk."