New York City isn’t even in the top 10.
Bed bugs are any city dweller’s biggest fear, and new data suggests the problem isn’t just limited to NYC and LA. Pest control company Orkin has compiled a list of the 50 most bed bug infested cities in the US today, which shows that some metropolitan areas are not as immune as you’d expect.
Orkin based its latest findings on which cities needed the most bed bug treatments between December 2019 and November 2020. The ranking took into account both inpatient and commercial treatments.
MORE: The fastest way to find out if there are bed bugs in your hotel room
Last year Washington, DC held the title of Bed Bug Infested City. This year, a new metropolis emerges as the country’s largest breeding ground for the infestation: Chicago.
Despite its bad reputation, NYC didn’t even make the top 10 list. The densely populated area finished 12th that year, compared to sixth in 2020. LA also improved, moving from the fourth worst city in the country to the ninth worst. It’s a small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.
Toledo, Ohio, which barely made it into the top 50 last year, is on the worst track, jumping from 50th to 27th place in just 12 months. Below is the full list, which also shows in parentheses how each city’s rank has changed from last year’s report.
The top 50 bed bug cities
1. Chicago (+2)
2. Baltimore
3. Washington, DC (-2)
4. Detroit (+3)
5. Columbus, OH
6. Cleveland, OH (+5)
7. Indianapolis (+2)
8. Cincinnati
9. Los Angeles (-5)
10. Grand Rapids (+8)
11. Charlotte (+9)
12. New York (-6)
13. Atlanta (-3)
14. Philadelphia (-2)
15. Champaign, IL (+1)
16. Dallas (+1)
17. Raleigh, NC (-3)
18. Charleston, WV (+8)
19. Pittsburgh
20. Denver (+7)
21. Flint (+7)
22. San Francisco (-9)
23. Greenville, SC (-9)
24. Norfolk (-9)
25. St. Louis (+3)
26. Richmond, VA (-5)
27. Toledo, OH (+23)
28. Dayton, OH (+21)
29. Buffalo, NY (-5)
30. Omaha (+2)
31. Nashville (-2)
32. Milwaukee (+1)
33. Fort Wayne, IN (+13)
34. Greensboro, NC (-9)
35. Cedar Rapids, IA (+6)
36. Knoxville, TN (-13)
37. Houston (+1)
38. Davenport, IA (-1)
39. Tampa (-5)
40.Youngstown (new to the list)
41.South Bend (new to the list)
42. Phoenix (+3)
43. Lexington (new to the list)
44. Seattle (-1)
45. Orlando (-9)
46. Louisville (new to the list)
47. Miami (-15)
48. Lansing (-18)
49. Peoria-Bloomington (new to the list)
50. Minneapolis-St. Paul (new to the list)
The moral of the story here is that you can never be too sure. As Ben Hottel, an orkin entomologist, put it in a statement, “Bed bugs are a problem for everyone because they are master hitchhikers and travel home with people when they are unlikely to notice.”
Whether you are in Chicago, Minneapolis, or any other city, you should always keep an eye out for bed bugs so you can treat them quickly as they find their way around your home. A little fear can be healthy as long as you don’t let it control you.
MORE: How to kill bed bugs, the enemy you sleep with
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Kyler Alvord is a news writer on Thrillist. Find him on Twitter and Instagram. Or not. It’s really up to you.
