Top 50 Worst Cities for Bed Bugs

In their sixth annual review of bed bug infestations nationally, Orkin found that Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Chicago are the worst offenders.

Jan. 9, 2017

2 min read

In the 6th year of the Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list, released annually pest control provider Orkin, Baltimore reaches the number 1 spot, moving up nine spots since last year. Four metropolitan areas — Las Vegas, Portland, Salt Lake City and Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem — made the list for the first time this year.

The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2015, to November 30, 2016. This ranking includes both residential and commercial buildings:

Baltimore, MD
Washington, DC
Chicago, IL
New York, NY
Columbus, OH
Los Angeles, CA
Detroit, MI
Cincinnati, OH
Philadelphia, PA
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
Richmond-Petersburg, VA
Raleigh-Durham, NC
Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH
Indianapolis, IN
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Atlanta, GA
Houston, TX
Buffalo, NY
Charlotte, NC
Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA
Knoxville, TN
Denver, CO
Nashville, TN
Pittsburgh, PA
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC
Phoenix, AZ
Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI
Boston, MA
Milwaukee, WI
Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, IL
Hartford-New Haven, CT
Dayton, OH
Omaha, NE
Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL
Charleston-Huntington, WV
St. Louis, MO
Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Dubuque, IA
Myrtle Beach-Florence, SC
Syracuse, NY
Louisville, KY
Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC
Lexington, KY
Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL
Kansas City, MO
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Salt Lake City, UT
Honolulu, HI
Las Vegas, NV
Portland, OR

“We have more people affected by bed bugs in the United States now than ever before,” says Orkin Entomologist and Director of Technical Services Ron Harrison, Ph.D., adding that bed bugs are a growing issue. “They were virtually unheard of in the U.S. 10 years ago,” he says.

Bed bugs can be found anywhere, from pure residential homes and apartments and hotels, to public places like movie theaters, public transportation, libraries and offices in buildings.

To read more about bed bugs and how you can prevent them, please click here.