Here's Where One MA City Ranks Among The Most Cockroach-Infested

BOSTON, MA — Roaches infestations are an all-too-common phenomenon for city dwellers across the country. And that includes residents of the Boston area, which landed on the "Roachiest Cities in America" list.

Pest Gnome, which specializes in connecting people to pest exterminators in their area, ranked 25 metropolitan areas in the United States based on the number of cockroach service calls and other factors. Boston came up as No. 21.

The study looked at shares of homes with signs of cockroaches over the last 12 months along with climate data on the number of extremely hot days and pest control workers per 10,000. Boston did rank No. 8 in the number of pest control workers.

But one thing Boston has going in its favor is cold weather: roaches can't survive at sustained temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. This may be part of the reason Boston had an overall score of 17.92, far lower than Houston at the top of the list at 81.41.

Overall, several densely populated metro cities made the list, which was determined using data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Houston topped the list, with 37 percent of homes showing signs of cockroaches in the past 12 months, the study said. Houston is known for its high heat and humidity, and Pest Gnome reported that roaches thrive in such conditions.

California appeared on the list frequently, with four cities in the top 25.

Here's the full list:

1. Houston, TX
2. San Antonio, TX
3. Tampa, FL
4. Phoenix, AZ
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Miami, FL
7. Atlanta, GA
8. Birmingham, AL
9. Dallas, TX
10. Oklahoma City, OK
11. New York, NY
12. Richmond, VA
13. Los Angeles, CA
14. Washington, D.C.
15. Philadelphia, PA
16. Baltimore, MD
17. Riverside, CA
18. Chicago, IL
19. Minneapolis, MN
20. San Jose, CA
21. Boston, MA
22. Detroit, MI
23. San Francisco, CA
24. Rochester, NY
25. Seattle, WA

Cockroaches can affect your health "both physically and mentally," the study noted. These insects are carriers of bacteria and parasites that can cause disease and allergic reactions.

Flying cockroaches can also bite you in your sleep. Now that you know that fact, you'll never sleep again, so there's nothing to worry about!

Check out the full report at Pest Gnome.