Chicago Ranked America's Worst Bedbug City Again, Orkin Reports

Chicago has once again claimed the number one spot on Orkin's annual Bed Bug Cities List, a ranking the pest control giant released covering treatment data from May 2025 through May 12, 2026. Orkin had announced last year that the Windy City held onto its spot as the most bedbug-infested city in the nation for the fifth consecutive year.

The rest of the top five reads like a tour of major Midwest and Rust Belt metros: Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis. The rankings are based on treatment data from metro areas where Orkin performed the most bedbug treatments, including both residential and commercial jobs.

Summer travelers should note that Orkin reported increased bedbug activity in Tampa and Myrtle Beach, both popular tourist hot spots. Orkin's press release noted that many cities where bedbug activity has been worst in the last year are also some of the country's most popular travel destinations, expected to welcome large numbers of visitors for concerts, festivals and sporting events throughout the summer and beyond.

Nashville and Oklahoma City each climbed 10 spots on this year's list, the company said, while Youngstown, Omaha and Knoxville recorded some of the largest declines. According to Orkin, these year-over-year changes highlight the persistent and evolving nature of bedbug activity across the nation.

Bedbugs themselves are small insects that feed on blood and live near humans or animals, favoring places we sleep or rest, such as beds, couches and nearby furniture. They can cause itchy bites, skin irritation, and in some cases, allergic reactions.

A separate report by casino.ca, released earlier this summer, ranked Michigan as the state with the highest estimated risk of encountering bedbugs, followed by Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Hawaii and Oregon ranked lowest on that list. At the city level, Warren, Michigan, topped that analysis, with North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Madison, Wisconsin, also ranking among the biggest hot spots — a notably different set of names than Orkin's city list. The casino.ca analysis combined bedbug data from Orkin and Terminix with TripAdvisor hotel reviews, treatment records and social-media posts to estimate travelers' risk of encountering bedbugs.

Experts recommend inspecting mattress seams, upholstered furniture and behind headboards for bedbugs while traveling. They also suggest using a sticky lint roller on clothing, upholstery and the bottoms of shoes to help detect hitchhiking bedbugs.