Methodology

What data does Urban Pest Watch use?

Urban Pest Watch uses the NYC 311 Service Requests dataset (ID: erm2-nwe9) from NYC Open Data, covering January 2023 through June 2026 (42 months) to enable multi-year trend comparison. Two complaint streams are tracked: complaint_type='Rodent' (rats/mice, DOHMH) and complaint_type='UNSANITARY CONDITION' (which includes the PESTS descriptor and other sub-types).

How are monthly and seasonal figures computed?

Monthly counts are derived using the Socrata date_trunc_ym function:

GET https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/erm2-nwe9.json
  ?$where=(complaint_type='Rodent' OR complaint_type='UNSANITARY CONDITION')
    AND created_date >= '2023-01-01T00:00:00'
  &$select=date_trunc_ym(created_date) as month,complaint_type,count(*) as count
  &$group=date_trunc_ym(created_date),complaint_type
  &$order=month ASC &$limit=100

Seasonal averages are computed by grouping months into four seasons: Spring (Mar–May), Summer (Jun–Aug), Fall (Sep–Nov), Winter (Dec–Feb). Averages shown are arithmetic means of monthly counts within each season, across the 2023–2025 period (three years with complete data).

How are year-over-year changes computed?

Year-over-year change = (full-year total for year N) minus (full-year total for year N−1), expressed as a percentage. 2026 figures are excluded from year-over-year comparisons as the year is incomplete (data through 2026-06-25).

What are the known limitations?

• Trend data reflects reporting volume, not absolute pest levels. Changes in 311 awareness, app adoption, or agency routing can affect complaint counts independently of actual pest activity.
• UNSANITARY CONDITION counts include non-pest sub-types (MOLD, SEWAGE, GARBAGE) in the total series; the PESTS-only subset is isolated separately.
• June 2026 data is partial (through 2026-06-25). The June 2026 monthly figure should not be compared directly to prior full-month figures.