Worst Cities for Bed Bugs: Where Does Yours Rank?

The United States is in the midst of a bed bug resurgence. With Americans spending $446 million in 2013 to get rid of bed bugs – compared to just $70 million in 1993 – it’s obvious that these pests have reemerged as a major threat after a 50-year absence.

Active year-round, bed bugs are known to infest not only homes, but also commercial establishments such as hotels, hospitals, apartments, offices, schools and more. They are incredibly resilient, hitchhike with humans, and reproduce – often exponentially – if they are undetected.

Bed bugs survive exclusively on blood meals and are attracted to body heat and body odor, including the carbon dioxide humans emit. Reactions to bites vary from person to person, but symptoms can include mild to serious skin reactions that may result in soreness or itching.

Not one region of the United States has successfully avoided the impact of the bed bug’s comeback. Orkin has treated for bed bugs in all 50 states, and its parent company Rollins saw an 18 percent increase in bed bug revenue alone in 2014.

Once on a company’s property, bed bugs can be extremely difficult to eliminate. Companies should continue to follow their business plan for proactive inspections and protocols for suspected bed bug activity to help lower the chances of bed bug infestations. For those companies that don’t have a bed bug plan, they should work with a pest management provider to create one.

To show where Orkin customers requested the most bed bug treatments in 2015, Orkin created a list of the Top 50 Bed Bug Cities:

1. Chicago, IL

2. Detroit, MI

3. Columbus, OH

4. Los Angeles, CA

5. Cleveland – Akron – Canton, OH

6. Dallas – Ft. Worth, TX

7. Cincinnati, OH

8. Denver, CO

9. Richmond – Petersburg, VA

10. Dayton, OH

11. Indianapolis, IN

12. Houston, TX

13. Seattle – Tacoma, WA

14. Washington, D.C.

15. Milwaukee, WI

16. San Francisco – Oakland – San Jose, CA

17. Raleigh – Durham – Fayetteville, NC

18. New York, NY

19. Charleston – Huntington, WV

20. Grand Rapids – Kalamazoo – Battle Creek, MI

21. Omaha, NE

22. Louisville, KY

23. Nashville, TN

24. Lexington, KY

25. Atlanta, GA

26. Buffalo, NY

27. Sacramento – Stockton – Modesto, CA

28. Syracuse, NY

29. Boston – Manchester, MA

30. Charlotte, NC

31. Baltimore, MD

32. Phoenix – Prescott, AZ

33. Miami – Ft. Lauderdale, FL

34. Knoxville, TN

35. Cedar Rapids – Waterloo – Dubuque, IA

36. Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN

37. Hartford – New Haven, CN

38. Champaign – Springfield – Decatur, IL

39. San Diego, CA

40. Lincoln – Hastings – Kearney, NE

41. Kansas City, MO

42. Honolulu

43. Albany – Schenectady – Troy, NY

44. Colorado Springs – Pueblo, CO

45. Myrtle Beach – Florence, SC

46. St. Louis, MO

47. Greenville – Spartanburg, SC – Asheville, NC

48. Bowling Green, NY

49. Ft. Wayne, IN

50. Toledo, OH