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Following the worldwide story of bed bugs plaguing Paris, France, many travelers have been more keen to look out for these annoying pests. Bed bugs are known to fester in bedding and clothes, biting people and easily hopping on other victims. Americans thinking about moving to a new city should be aware that certain locations are prone to carry these insects.
Orkin recently released its 2024 list of the worst cities for bed bugs. The longtime pest control company explained how the rankings are determined:
"The bed bug cities list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from Dec. 1, 2022 – Nov. 30, 2023. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments."
A popular city in Washington State was featured in the rankings. Seattle dropped several places in this year's list, ranking at No. 44. The Evergreen City was overtaken by cities like Las Vegas, Tampa, Nashville, and Milwaukee.
Chicago was once again the top city riddled with bed bugs. This is the fourth time the Windy City claimed the No. 1 spot.
These are America's Top 10 worst cities for bed bugs, according to Orkin:
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Cleveland-Akron, Ohio
- Los Angeles, California
- Detroit, Michigan
- Washington, D.C.
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Champaign, Illinois