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Use our interactive map to see how often people have spotted rats at your New York City subway station!
In addition to its iconic skyline, historic sites, and world class culture and food, New York City is also famous for rats. Rats are particularly notorious in New York City’s subways, but they hang out at some stations more than others. Data from the Transit app shows that rats love stations in the South Bronx and Northwest Manhattan, where riders report more rat sightings than anywhere else in the city.
Mayor Adams' administration has declared war on rats, launching a program to educate citizens to fight rats in their neighborhood and even appointing a “rat czar.” But the data suggests that, at least underground, the humans might be losing the war. In the past 18 months, rats were spotted at every station with data. Our map lets you see how ratty your local station is—and which stations you might want to avoid.
Even though Brooklynites tend to complain the most about rats, the data from Transit shows that, at least in the subway system, New York City’s subway rat problem is worse in the Bronx and Manhattan, where users spotted rats more than half the time at one in five stops. To be sure, the results are unofficial and may need to be taken with caution, as Transit users are asked to report whether they saw no rats, “one or two” rats, or “so many” rats—a bit of a subjective distinction —and they aren’t asked every trip.
The city’s rattiest station in December was Tremont Avenue on the B and D trains in the Bronx, where 90% of riders reported seeing rats. 52% of riders saw “one or two” rats and 38% saw “so many” rats.
Since August 2023, 6 of the top 10 stations with the most reported rats were in the Bronx. Users reported the largest groups of rats at the 3rd Ave-149th Street station, where 54% of users reported seeing “so many” rats.
Rats also tend to love tunnels. Some of the rattiest stations, like 191st St. and Lexington Avenue-63rd St in Manhattan are also some of the city’s deepest, at over 100 feet each. Rats tend to stay away from elevated train stops. At elevated and ground-level stops, 25% of riders reported seeing rats compared to 44% at subterranean stops.
Rats might prefer tunnels because they are naturally burrowing animals. Subway tubes provide a safe place to rest, store food, and stay warm in the colder months.
So while the city might be able to fight rats on the surface with new containerized trash, an overhaul of the trash pickup schedule, and an education program for citizens, rats still rule the underground. They’ll continue to be part of the city’s fabric for millions of New Yorkers, whether they are dragging pizza down stairs, raiding trash cans, or fighting over scraps.
Next, check out how rats are so ubiquitous in NYC there are uptown and downtown breeds or how the man who brought rats to NYC got his own statue.
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