Queens Had NYC’s Highest Rat-Activity Share in Initial Inspections
Published August 16, 2026. Based on NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene rodent-inspection records from January 1, 2022 through August 16, 2026.
In Queens, 29.6% of initial rodent inspections were marked “Rat Activity,” the highest share of any borough in the analyzed records. The comparable shares were 22.2% in the Bronx, 21.7% in Brooklyn, 20.8% in Manhattan, and 7.9% in Staten Island.
That does not mean 29.6% of Queens buildings have rats. Initial inspections are triggered by 311 complaints or proactive neighborhood indexing, so inspected properties are not a random sample of the borough.
Initial inspections marked “Rat Activity,” 2022–August 2026
Share of each borough’s initial DOHMH rodent inspections—not a share of all buildings or homes.
Initial-inspection records: Queens 30,907; Bronx 141,119; Brooklyn 210,940; Manhattan 184,388; Staten Island 5,989. Queried August 16, 2026.
Why we changed the denominator
An earlier cut of this analysis compared records marked “Passed” with every rodent-program record. That mixed initial inspections with compliance visits, baiting, treatments, stoppage work, and cleanups. Queens also had a different mix of record types, which made the all-record “pass rate” easy to misread.
This guide compares initial inspections only. NYC’s dataset defines those as inspections responding to a 311 complaint or conducted through proactive neighborhood indexing. Compliance inspections occur after a failed initial inspection; baiting and treatment records describe follow-up work. Keeping those workflows separate makes the borough comparison more meaningful.
What “Rat Activity” means
The city’s dataset documentation describes active rat signs as evidence such as fresh tracks or droppings, active burrows, runways or rub marks, fresh gnawing, or live rats. The database’s result label is “Rat Activity.”
A result applies to the inspected property or tax lot at that inspection date. It is not a permanent building label. Conditions can be corrected, rats can return, and a later compliance inspection may show a different result.
The borough results
| Borough | Initial inspections | Marked Rat Activity | Marked Passed | |---|---:|---:|---:| | Queens | 30,907 | 29.6% | 56.4% | | Bronx | 141,119 | 22.2% | 68.9% | | Brooklyn | 210,940 | 21.7% | 74.5% | | Manhattan | 184,388 | 20.8% | 74.5% | | Staten Island | 5,989 | 7.9% | 67.7% |
The remaining share includes other result labels, including problem conditions. Borough totals differ sharply: Queens has far fewer initial inspections than Brooklyn, Manhattan, or the Bronx. That is another reason not to convert this table into a borough-wide prevalence ranking.
How renters should check an address
Use NYC’s Rat Information Portal to search the property and nearby lots. For each result, note:
- whether it was an initial, compliance, or treatment-related record;
- the inspection date;
- whether the result showed rat activity, passed, or another condition; and
- whether a later visit shows follow-up.
During a tour, inspect the trash area, basement entrance, courtyard, tree pits, and the route from the street to the apartment. Look for open garbage, holes around doors or utility penetrations, burrows, droppings, and poorly sealed food-storage areas.
Ask management what was corrected after the latest failed inspection and when the property was rechecked. A documented response and clean follow-up are more informative than a single old result.
What the data cannot prove
NYC’s own dataset warns that a missing property does not mean rats are absent; it may simply mean the property was not inspected. Neighborhoods with more inspections or active signs may reflect enforcement and complaint patterns as well as rat conditions.
The analysis also does not adjust for borough population, number of buildings, land use, density, restaurant activity, construction, sewer conditions, or inspection targeting. It describes outcomes among initial inspections in the public record—not the probability that any random apartment has rats.
How we measured this
We included records dated January 1, 2022 through the query date and excluded future-dated rows. We then limited the borough comparison to records whose inspection type was “Initial.” Shares use all initial records in each borough as the denominator.
The figures come from a daily updated administrative dataset and may change after publication. Recheck the official portal for the current address-level record.
Questions renters ask
Is Queens the “rattiest” borough? This analysis cannot make that claim. Queens had the highest share of initial inspections marked Rat Activity in this targeted, non-random dataset.
Does “Passed” mean a building will remain rat-free? No. It records the result of an inspection on a particular date.
Should I reject a building with an old Rat Activity result? Check the follow-up record, current conditions, and management’s documented response before deciding.
👉 Set up RentReboot alerts to find apartments, then check the official rat and building records before signing.