Chicago topped Orkin’s 2026 Bed Bug Cities List again, and the reason is simple enough: it was the city where Orkin performed the most bedbug treatments. The ranking lands as summer travel picks up, putting a sharper edge on trips to several major destinations.
Orkin said Chicago held the number one spot for the fifth consecutive year. Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis rounded out the top five, while Tampa and Myrtle Beach showed increased bedbug activity and Nashville and Oklahoma City each climbed 10 spots.
Zachary DeVries on the rankings
Zachary DeVries, an associate professor of urban entomology at the University of Kentucky, previously cautioned Digital against putting too much stock in such reports. He called them “make for fun reads,” a reminder that the list tracks treatment data, not a full map of every bedbug problem a traveler might encounter.
That distinction matters because Orkin’s rankings include both residential and commercial bedbug treatments. The company said the data came from metro areas where it performed the most bedbug treatments from May 2025 to May 12, 2026, which means the list reflects where activity was enough to drive repeated service calls over that span.
Orkin’s treatment data
Orkin paired the city ranking with a broader warning: “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.” That puts Chicago, Tampa and Myrtle Beach squarely on the map for travelers who are moving through crowded hotels, rentals and other places where people sleep or rest.
Bedbugs are small insects that feed on blood and live near humans or animals, and they favor beds, couches and nearby furniture. They can cause itchy bites, skin irritation and, in some cases, allergic reactions. Earlier in the summer, casino.ca released a separate report that ranked Michigan as the state with the highest estimated risk of encountering bedbugs, with Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin behind it and Hawaii and Oregon at the lowest end of that list.
Chicago stays on top
Chicago’s repeat No. 1 finish leaves the same practical takeaway for travelers: the worst-risk cities are not random, one-off entries. Orkin’s own language said, “These year-over-year changes highlight the persistent and evolving nature of bedbug activity across the nation.” For now, the list points to the same pressure points again — Chicago at the top, Tampa and Myrtle Beach moving higher, and a summer travel season that will keep those cities busy.
