Bed Bugs Are Making a Comeback — What 2026's City Rankings Actually Show

Pest control company Orkin has released its 2026 Bed Bug Cities list, an annual ranking widely covered every year, and the results tell a story that goes beyond any single city's problem: bed bug activity is rising globally, and the pattern behind this year's list tracks closely with travel behaviour.

The 2026 rankings

Chicago retained the top spot as the US city with the highest rate of bed bug infestations for another year, with Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis rounding out the top five, according to Orkin's own release and coverage from PRNewswire and CleanLink. Ohio was the most represented state on this year's list with six cities in the top 50, reinforcing a broader pattern of Midwestern cities appearing repeatedly among the country's bed bug hotspots, alongside a heavy concentration of cities in the South, particularly Texas and Florida.

What's new: vacation destinations climbing the list

The detail that stood out most in this year's rankings is the addition of high-growth vacation destinations — Tampa and Myrtle Beach both climbed the list as summer travel ramped up. That's a meaningful pattern rather than a coincidence: bed bugs don't travel on their own, they hitchhike in luggage and on clothing, which means destinations with heavy tourist and short-term rental turnover are increasingly showing up alongside the usual dense, high-turnover urban centres that have historically dominated these rankings.

A global pattern, not just a US list

Orkin's list is US-specific, but the resurgence it reflects is part of a broader global pattern — infestations have been reported rising in major cities and hotel chains worldwide since 2023, tracking closely with the recovery in international travel volume over that same period. More travel means more opportunities for bed bugs to hitchhike between locations, and hospitality-heavy destinations are disproportionately exposed to that traffic compared to areas with less transient population turnover.

An important caveat: this is treatment data, not a census

Worth being clear about what a ranking like this actually measures: Orkin's list is based on the company's own treatment data — specifically, the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments between May 2025 and May 2026 — not an independent survey of actual infestation rates across every city. A city's ranking reflects where this particular company did the most treatment work, which correlates with real bed bug activity but isn't a precise, unbiased infestation census. That distinction matters for interpreting the list sensibly rather than treating it as a definitive city-by-city infestation rate.

Why bed bugs specifically are prone to this kind of resurgence

Bed bugs are a particularly good fit for a travel-driven resurgence pattern because of how they spread and how hard they are to fully clear once established — they don't fly or jump, so every new infestation traces back to a hitchhiking event (luggage, secondhand furniture, used clothing) rather than the insect spreading on its own between locations. That means rising travel volume translates fairly directly into rising bed bug activity, in a way that isn't true for most other household pests. It's also a pest that's historically proven resistant to quick fixes — a genuinely established population usually needs a systematic, multi-point treatment rather than a single spray, which is part of why cities with high transient turnover (business travel, tourism, short-term rentals) tend to stay on these lists persistently rather than cycling on and off from year to year.

What travelers and residents can actually do with this

None of this means anyone in a highly-ranked city has an active infestation, or that travelers to a lower-ranked destination are automatically safe — bed bugs travel with people, not by geography alone. The practical takeaway is the same regardless of a destination's rank: check a hotel mattress and headboard seams before unpacking, keep luggage off the bed and off upholstered furniture until it's been inspected, and inspect secondhand furniture closely before bringing it home, since that's how most infestations actually get started in the first place, list ranking notwithstanding.

• Orkin's 2026 list has Chicago at #1 again, with Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis rounding out the top five.
• Tampa and Myrtle Beach climbing the list this year reflects rising bed bug activity tied to summer travel and tourism turnover, not a change in the pest's biology.
• The global resurgence behind these rankings has tracked closely with international travel recovery since 2023.
• Remember that city rankings like this reflect one company's treatment data, not an independent infestation census — useful as a signal, not a precise measurement.
• The same prevention habits apply regardless of destination ranking: check hotel rooms before unpacking, and inspect secondhand furniture before bringing it home.

If you've recently traveled or brought home secondhand furniture and want peace of mind, or you're already seeing signs of activity, a proper inspection is the most reliable way to know for certain. Sevacorp offers a free inspection before any treatment is scheduled, so you'll know exactly what's there — and what it will take to clear it — before committing to anything.

• Sources:
• Orkin — "2026 Worst City For Bed Bugs Is Chicago, IL" — https://www.orkin.com/press-room/chicago-worst-city-for-bed-bugs-again
• PRNewswire — "Chicago Tops Orkin's 2026 Bed Bug Cities List Again as Vacation Hot Spots Climb the Ranks" — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chicago-tops-orkins-2026-bed-bug-cities-list-again-as-vacation-hot-spots-climb-the-ranks-302819144.html
• CleanLink — "2026 Bed Bug Infestations: Top 50 Cities" — https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/2026-Bed-Bug-Infestations-Top-50-Cities--32627
• Cleaning & Maintenance Management — "Chicago Tops Bed Bug Cities List Again" — https://cmmonline.com/news/chicago-tops-bed-bug-cities-list-again