Nov 7, 2022 - News

San Francisco has a serious rodent problem

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Housing Survey; Chart: Jacque Schrag and Alice Feng/Axios

San Francisco is infested with rodents.

Why it matters: Besides being gross, these animals can carry disease, ruin food and start electrical fires, among other problems.

By the numbers (of rats): In SF, 9.2% of homes had signs of mice or rats in the past year, per the 2021 American Housing Survey.

  • Yes, but: At least we're not the worst in the country. That honor goes to Boston, where 21.6% of homes had signs of rodents in the past year.

Between the lines: "Birdseed Lady," who has allegedly dropped 15-30 pounds of food at a time, has likely not helped the situation in Glen Park, where the Department of Public Health forced a local grocery store to temporarily shut down due to an infestation in September.

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