Full Breakdown
Chicago Leads 2026 Bedbug Risk Rankings
7/12/2026, 8:31:46 PM
Rankings Reveal Chicago as Top Bedbug City
Orkin’s 2026 Bed Bug Cities List, compiled from treatment records in metro areas where the company performed the most bed-bug interventions between May 2025 and May 12 2026, placed Chicago at the summit for the fifth consecutive year. Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis completed the top-five tier. Tourist-heavy locales such as Tampa and Myrtle Beach also showed heightened activity, according to the pest-control firm’s press release.
Methodology and Travel Implications
The rankings draw on Orkin’s residential and commercial treatment data, supplemented by a separate analysis that merged Orkin and Terminix figures with TripAdvisor hotel reviews, treatment records and social-media posts to estimate traveler risk. The company warned that many of the cities with the worst recent bed-bug activity are also major travel destinations slated for concerts, festivals and sporting events throughout the summer and beyond.
Expert Critique of Rankings
Urban-entomology scholars cautioned against over-reliance on the list. Zachary DeVries, associate professor of urban entomology at the University of Kentucky, noted that the methodology can give the impression that bed-bug problems are confined to urban centers, while his recent work shows infestations occur in suburban and rural settings as well. He added that rural residents may face greater challenges accessing effective pest-control services. Dini Miller, professor of urban pest management at Virginia Tech, observed that media attention tends to rise when visitors actively look for bed-bug reports, potentially skewing public perception of risk.
Practical Advice for Travelers
Public-health experts recommend travelers inspect mattress seams, upholstered furniture and headboard crevices in hotel rooms. Using a sticky lint roller on clothing, upholstery and shoe soles can help detect hitchhiking insects before they spread.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Many cities where bedbug activity has been the worst in the last year are also some of the country’s most popular travel destinations and are expected to welcome large numbers of visitors for major concerts, festivals and sporting events throughout the summer and beyond,” — Orkin, press release
- “The main problem I have with these [rankings] is they make it seem like urban areas have all the bedbug problems, but from some recent work we’ve done and anecdotal reports, we know bedbugs can show up anywhere — urban, suburban or rural,” — Zachary DeVries, associate professor of urban entomology, University of Kentucky
- “In fact, while people are more packed together in urban areas and thus more likely to bump into bedbugs, those living in rural areas may have less access to good pest control services and thus may find it more difficult to get rid of bedbugs,” — Zachary DeVries
- “Dini Miller, professor of urban pest management at Virginia Tech, told Fox News Digital that places tend to get attention for bedbugs when people are visiting and looking for them.” — Dini Miller, professor of urban pest management, Virginia Tech
