Chicago isn’t just the “rattiest” city in America; it has also been named the worst for bed bugs.
Orkin on Monday released its annual rankings, showing Chicago claimed the spot as the most bed bug-infested city for the fifth year in a row.
The pest control company compiled its rankings using treatment data from areas where it performed the most bed bug treatments from May 15, 2024 to May 14, 2025.
Chicago was followed by Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles and Indianapolis to round out the top five. Two other Illinois metro areas – Champaign and Peoria – made the list at No. 9 and No. 33, respectively.
With the busy travel months ahead, vigilance is key when it comes to curbing bed bugs, according to Orkin.
“Bed bugs are some of the most resilient pests in the world, making them extremely difficult to control if brought into a home or hotel,” Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said in a news release. “As summer travel picks up, it is critical that people know the best ways to identify, prevent and control these pests.”
The complete list can be found below. Noted beside each city’s name is how many spots it moved in the past year.
- Chicago
- Cleveland (+2)
- Detroit (+3)
- Los Angeles (+1)
- Indianapolis (+3)
- Washington, D.C. (+1)
- Grand Rapids, Mich. (+7)
- Columbus, Ohio (+3)
- Champaign, Ill. (+1)
- Milwaukee (+15)
- Baltimore (+5)
- Pittsburgh (+9)
- Cincinnati (-1)
- Denver (+1)
- New York (-13)
- Flint, Mich. (+7)
- Atlanta (-4)
- St. Louis (+1)
- Charleston, W. Va. (+7)
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa (+19)
- Davenport, Iowa (+8)
- Youngstown, Ohio (-2)
- Raleigh, N.C. (+1)
- Dallas (-2)
- Philadelphia (-22)
- Omaha, Neb. (+10)
- South Bend, Ind. (+10)
- Richmond, Va. (-11)
- Knoxville, Tenn. (+5)
- Greenville, S.C. (-3)
- Norfolk, Va. (-3)
- Charlotte, N.C. (-23)
- Peoria, Ill. (+18)
- Oklahoma City, Okla. (+14)
- Hartford, Conn. (+48)
- Toledo, Ohio (-4)
- Buffalo (+5)
- Fort Wayne, Ind. (+2)
- Seattle (+5)
- Minneapolis (+7)
- Miami (+1)
- San Francisco (-1)
- Dayton, Ohio (-10)
- Nashville (-14)
- Houston (-7)
- Las Vegas (-11)
- Boston (+10)
- Lansing, Mich. (+4)
- San Diego (+10)
- Syracuse, N.Y. (+8)
