Where do bed bugs come from? How they can get into your home
Does thinking about bed bugs keep you up at night? Here’s what you need to know.
Summer holidays are in full swing, but travelers heading to the nation’s busiest destinations may want to take extra precautions.
Orkin’s 2026 Bed Bug Cities List has been released, ranking the U.S. cities with the highest rates of bed bugs, and this year’s annual ranking of pest control companies has been released.
Orkin said increased travel and high turnover rates in hotels, apartments and other accommodations could increase the opportunity for bed bugs to be spread by hitchhikers loaded with luggage and personal items.
Before you pack your bags, here are the cities that made the list.
Which cities have the highest rates of bed bugs?
Orkin’s rankings are based on residential and commercial bed bug treatments performed from May 12, 2025 to May 12, 2026.
The 50 cities that made it into the ranking are as follows.
- 1st place – Chicago (Chicago ranks highest for 6th year in a row)
- 2nd Place – Los Angeles
- good. 3 – Detroit
- 4th place – Cleveland
- 5th place – Indianapolis
- 6th Place – Springfield, Illinois
- 7th place – Washington DC
- 8th place – Columbus, Ohio
- good. 9 – Pittsburgh
- 10th place – Grand Rapids, Michigan
- No. 11 – Denver
- No. 12 – New York City
- No. 13 – Milwaukee
- No. 14 – Baltimore
- 15th – Cincinnati
- No. 16 – Raleigh, North Carolina
- good. 17 – St. Louis
- No. 18 – Charleston, West Virginia
- No. 19 – Davenport, Iowa
- No. 20 – Flint, Michigan
- good. 21 – Atlanta
- good. 22 – Philadelphia
- 23rd – Dallas
- No. 24 – Oklahoma City
- No. 25 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- No. 26 – Hartford, CT
- No. 27 – Charlotte, North Carolina
- good. 28 – Peoria, Illinois
- No. 29 – South Bend, Indiana
- No. 30 – Seattle
- No. 31 – Richmond, Virginia
- No. 32 – Youngstown, Ohio
- No. 33 – Greenville, South Carolina
- No. 34 – Nashville
- No. 25 – Buffalo, New York
- No. 26 – Omaha, Nebraska
- No. 37 – San Francisco
- No. 38 – Dayton, Ohio
- No. 39 – Norfolk, Virginia
- No. 40 – Knoxville, Tennessee
- No. 41 – San Diego
- No. 42 – Toledo, Ohio
- No. 43 – Las Vegas
- No. 44 – Syracuse, New York
- No. 45 – Fort Wayne, Indiana
- No. 46 – Tampa, Florida
- No.47 – Miami
- No. 48 – Minneapolis
- No. 49 – Kansas City, Missouri
- No. 50 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Popular vacation destinations like Tampa, Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina made the list or made their first appearance in the top 50.
Ohio is the most represented state on the list, with six cities in the top 50, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Youngstown, Dayton, and Toledo.
Among the cities making the biggest moves in the rankings, Nashville and Oklahoma City each rose 10 spots, while Tampa, Kansas City, and Myrtle Beach entered the top 50 for the first time.
States with highest bed bug risk
Orkin’s report comes as another recent analysis suggests travelers may be more likely to encounter bed bugs in some states than others.
A recent USA TODAY report, citing an analysis from Casino.ca, found that Michigan has the highest estimated risk of bed bugs among travelers in the country, followed by Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Researchers compared Orkin and Terminix’s bed bug rankings to social media posts and TripAdvisor hotel reviews in each state’s three largest cities. They concluded that popular tourist destinations are often at greater risk not because hotels are not necessarily clean or well-maintained, but because of high customer turnover.
How to prevent travelers from bringing bed bugs into your home
“Travel season brings excitement, but it also makes awareness especially important,” said Orkin entomologist and National Technical Director Dr. Shannon Sked.
Orkin recommends inspecting your hotel room before unpacking, checking mattresses and furniture for live insects, shells, small eggs, and dark, ink-like stains. Travelers should also place their luggage on high shelves away from their beds, inspect their bags before returning home, and place dryer-safe clothing in a hot dryer for 30 to 45 minutes after their trip.
Sked said bed bugs rarely go away on their own, and early detection and prompt professional treatment are the best ways to prevent the spread of an infestation.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or X @athompsonUSAT.
