These dirty cities have the worst bed bug infestations — see where NYC ranks on the list of shame

Adriana Diaz
·3 min read
4

This list is sure to make your skin crawl.

Orkin, a pest control company, has released their annual ranking of the most bed bug-infested cities in the US.

The notorious list is based on the metro areas where the company provided the most treatments for the unwanted pests in the last year.

Chicago took the top spot, with the Windy City being deemed the most bed bug-infested in the country for the fourth year in a row.

New York City rang in at number two. The rats may not run this city but the bed bugs might — we’re crawling with the dirty devils.

Lower on the list were Philadelphia, Cleveland-Akron, OH and Los Angeles, respectively.

Residents of Greensboro, North Carolina should be especially cautious — the small, Southern city jumped 25 spots in the ranking since last year, now making it into the top 20.

“Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control,” Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel said in the release.

“While bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, they are excellent at hiding. Involving a trained professional at the sight of a bed bug introduction is recommended.”

20 worst cities for bedbugs in the United States, 2024

  1. Chicago, IL

  2. New York, NY

  3. Philadelphia, PA

  4. Cleveland-Akron, OH

  5. Los Angeles, CA

  6. Detroit, MI

  7. Washington, D.C.

  8. Indianapolis, IN

  9. Charlotte, NC

  10. Champaign, IL

  11. Columbus, OH

  12. Cincinnati, OH

  13. Atlanta, GA

  14. Grand Rapids, MI

  15. Denver, CO

  16. Baltimore, MD

  17. Richmond, VA

  18. Greensboro, NC

  19. St. Louis, MO

  20. Youngstown, OH

There’s been an uptick in the appearance of bed bugs as more of them wander the world — namely during Paris Fashion Week and NYC in the weeks following.

French officials warned of a “widespread” outbreak of bedbugs in public spaces, calling the problem a “scourge,” after the international event.

New Yorkers then panicked as fashionistas returning from France brought the unwanted accessories back with them.

Complaints about bed bugs across New York City surged a revolting 17% last year — with 2,667 cases of the bloodsuckers reported between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, compared to 2,276 in the same period last year, data obtained by The Post revealed.

“I’ve seen [surges in bed bugs] happen over the past 50 years three times — and this time they’re coming up from Central and South America,” Mark D. Loffredo, the president of Staten Island-based Post Exterminators, told The Post. “You have a tremendous influx of folks that are coming up from those areas.”

The other two surges — one in the 1950s and another in the 70s — were also both due to upticks in both domestic and international travel, he added.