Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
We're Not #1! New York 7th Worst City For Bed Bugs
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 24, 2010
Modified Aug 24, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 24, 2010
Modified Aug 24, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
[UPDATE BELOW] The city's bed bug epidemic has been getting pretty out of hand, with the critters crawling all the way into the Empire State Building to assert their control. But we can sleep easy (or maybe with just one eye open) with the knowledge that we're not actually the most infested city in America. That honor goes to Cincinnati. In fact, according to data from Orkin, Ohio seems to be the most infested state, with Cincinnati and Columbus taking the top two spots. Here are the top 10:
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Chicago, Illinois
- Denver, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- Washington, DC
- New York, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Dayton, Ohio
- Baltimore, Maryland
The east coast doesn't even show up until #6! However, the data was taken from Orkin's treatments over the past 30 months, so it doesn't take into account people who have used other services or have tried to get rid of the bastards themselves. And this still doesn't leave us any closer to getting rid of them for good. We're guessing telling the bed bugs to go back to Ohio won't work on them either. [Via The Daily Beast]
[UPDATE] We are #1? According to competing pest-control company Terminix's data, New York is the most bed bug infested city in the country, though they still agree Ohio is the most infested state. Paul Curtis, entomologist for Terminix, cited increased international travel as a cause, and said, ''It’s no surprise that highly trafficked cities such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles are on the list." None of the data takes into account people who haven't reported bed bug problems, or data from competing pest-control companies, so why don't we just average the two and say New York is the third or fourth worst off city?
Tagged
bed bugs
data
orkin
ranking
terminix
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
The DSA's NYC chapter accused the NYPD of collaborating with ICE and demanded Mayor Mamdani hold Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch responsible.
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 9, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
News
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
NY will opt in Trump’s school choice program, Hochul says
By
Jon Campbell
Residents, lawmakers warned for months of potential for deadly ICE activity in Marble Hill
By
David Brand
Manhattan DA argues judge shouldn't dismiss state charges against Luigi Mangione
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .