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Boston Makes Yelp’s Top 10 Most Clogged Cities

Nothing can put a damper on a holiday celebration like a cringe-worthy plumbing mishap. Thanksgiving weekend should be all about overflowing plates, not plumbing headaches. Whether it’s a pesky clogged…

Man cleaning the toilet with cup plunger, clogged toiletconcept
Nomadsoul1/ Getty Images

Nothing can put a damper on a holiday celebration like a cringe-worthy plumbing mishap. Thanksgiving weekend should be all about overflowing plates, not plumbing headaches. Whether it's a pesky clogged toilet, a leaky pipe, or a dishwasher going rogue, the day after Thanksgiving has been humorously dubbed "Brown Friday." And, as it turns out, this is peak time for plumbers.

Yelp put together a list of the top 30 cities hit hardest by plumbing issues during and after Brown Friday. They analyzed millions of data points on their website, looking at searches for emergency plumbers, including clogged toilets, leaky faucets, and others.

Number One for Number Two

Portland, OR, tops the list with a 23% increase in plumbing issue searches during Brown Friday. Yelp’s comparison looks at searches in the seven days before and after Thanksgiving Day in 2022. Additionally, Portland stood out for searches like "clogged drains" and "drain cleaning." According to the study, the city also saw more people requesting quotes for plumbing services on the website in November and December of 2022.

Completing the top five were Virginia Beach, VA, with a 22% rise in plumbing-related searches on Brown Friday; Raleigh, NC, which saw a 21% increase; Indianapolis, IN, also experiencing a 21% jump; and Jacksonville, FL, with an 18% surge in plumbing issues.

Where does Boston rank?

Securing the 7th spot in America's list of most clogged cities is Boston. To steer clear of any plumbing mishaps during your holiday celebrations, Yelp recommends taking preventive measures. Whether you're hosting a holiday dinner, a football watch party, or any other festive gathering, they advise leaving a restroom note, reminding guests to only flush items safe for the drains. Also, if your home has multiple bathrooms, they suggest using them all to reduce the risk of overloading a single toilet.

Take a look at the complete study here.

Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.