NYC rat complaints fell 12% in four weeks as Manhattan and the Bronx rose

New Yorkers filed 2,615 rodent complaints with 311 in the 28 days from Aug. 24 to Sept. 21, according to NYC Open Data. In the previous 28 days, July 27 to Aug. 24, they filed 2,970. That is 355 fewer complaints, a drop of 12%.

The citywide number went down, but not everywhere. Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island reported fewer rodents. Manhattan and the Bronx reported more. A handful of ZIP codes nearly doubled their counts, and one saw its count fall sharply.

One caution before the details. A 311 rodent complaint is a sighting someone reported. It is not a count of rats and not a confirmed infestation. Reports rise and fall with the weather and with trash collection rules, so a change over four weeks is a change in reports, nothing more.

NYC rat complaints by borough

Brooklyn still filed the most rodent complaints of any borough, even after the largest drop in raw numbers. Here is how each borough changed from July 27 to Aug. 24 compared with Aug. 24 to Sept. 21:

• Brooklyn: 913, down from 1,143 (230 fewer, down 20.1%)
• Manhattan: 641, up from 593 (48 more, up 8.1%)
• Queens: 517, down from 722 (205 fewer, down 28.4%)
• Bronx: 425, up from 356 (69 more, up 19.4%)
• Staten Island: 119, down from 155 (36 fewer, down 23.2%)

The Bronx had the steepest rise of the five boroughs. Queens had the steepest fall.

ZIP codes with the most rodent complaints

ZIP code 11205 topped the list in the latest four weeks with 72 complaints, close to its 74 the period before. Next came 11233 with 68, down from 85, and 10027 with 66, up from 41, an increase of 61%.

Several ZIP codes rose quickly from small starting counts:

• 10458: 30, up from 16 (up 87.5%)
• 10026: 39, up from 23 (up 69.6%)
• 10027: 66, up from 41 (up 61%)
• 10023: 36, up from 23 (up 56.5%)
• 10462: 32, up from 22 (up 45.5%)

Small numbers swing hard in percentage terms. A change of 14 complaints in 10458 reads as 87.5% because the earlier count was 16.

You can see which neighborhoods sit in and around these ZIP codes on the How2NewYork neighborhood pages.

Where rat reports dropped the most

The largest single change on the list was in 11103, where complaints went from 201 to 30, a drop of 85.1%. The data does not say why. A cluster of reports in one four-week window can come from many people calling about the same thing, and the count can fall back once that stops.

Other notable declines: 11238 went from 84 to 42, down 50%. 11221 went from 68 to 39, down 42.6%. 10024 went from 66 to 41, down 37.9%. 11218 went from 50 to 32, down 36%.

Rat sightings vs. mouse sightings and signs of rodents

The 311 data sorts each rodent complaint into a type. Rat sightings are by far the largest group:

• Rat sighting: 1,673, down from 1,989 (down 15.9%)
• Condition attracting rodents: 624, down from 637 (down 2%)
• Signs of rodents: 173, down from 205 (down 15.6%)
• Mouse sighting: 145, up from 139 (up 4.3%)

Most of the citywide drop came from fewer rat sightings, 316 fewer than the period before. Complaints about conditions that attract rodents, such as the places where food and trash collect, barely moved. Mouse sightings were the only type to rise.

What a 311 rodent complaint does and does not tell you

These figures measure how often people picked up the phone or opened the app, not how many rats live on a block. A street with more foot traffic or more residents who know how to use 311 can log more complaints than a quieter one with the same problem. A drop in reports is not proof that rats left.

Rodent complaints go to the city health department. Of the complaints filed from Aug. 24 to Sept. 21, 1,389 were still listed as In Progress and 1,226 were listed as Closed when the data was pulled. A closed status means the city recorded the complaint as handled, not that a problem was confirmed or solved.

How to report rats in NYC and follow your complaint

If you see rats, burrows or droppings, file a 311 rodent complaint and pick the type that matches what you saw. A report about a condition that draws rodents, such as overflowing trash, is logged separately from a sighting, and both count.

Save the service request number you get back. The status on your complaint moves from In Progress to Closed as the city works through it, and you can check it through 311.

Because reports track trash collection rules as well as the weather, putting bags and bins out on the right schedule on your own block is one practical step any building can take.

Sources

Every figure above comes from these official sources, checked on the day this was written.

• NYC Open Data: 311 service requests
• NYC 311