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North Carolina is home to two of the worst cities in the U.S. for bed bug infestations — and the numbers are worse than last year, according to Orkin.
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Raleigh came in at No. 19 on the pest management company’s Top 50 list of bed bug cities, jumping seven spots from a year ago, the new rankings show.
Charlotte didn’t move quite as high but still earned a spot on the list, rising five spots to land at No. 27. It isn’t the first time the Queen City has been thrust into the national spotlight for its pest problems.
Last year, Thumbtack named it among the “buggiest” cities in the U.S., citing a 16% uptick in online searches for pest-related services.
“Changes in the rankings can be influenced by a variety of factors such as travel trends, treatment resistance strains and educational campaigns to the public,” Dr. Shannon Sked, Orkin entomologist and national technical director, said in the report published Tuesday, July 7.
“Still, one thing remains constant: bed bugs continue to be a concern in communities across the United States, regardless of socioeconomic demographics (and) sanitation facilities maintenance levels.”
For the report, Orkin looked at metro areas where it performed the most bed bug treatments from May 12, 2025, to May 12, 2026, at commercial and residential properties.
Raleigh and Charlotte still fared better than other metros despite their rise in the rankings. Chicago took the top spot (again) as the city with the highest rate of bed bug infestations, Orkin said. Ohio saw the most cities on the list, with six in all.
Two cities appeared on the top 50 list for the first time: Tampa and Myrtle Beach — both of which Orkin called “high-growth vacation destinations” that are experiencing a rise in bed bug activity.
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As summer travel ramps up, so can the risk of bed bugs hitching a ride back home with you.
Hotels and motels are notorious for the flat, brown critters — which are roughly the size of an apple seed. But practical steps, like putting your luggage on a luggage rack instead of on the floor or bed, can help protect you and your family.
Also, “have a look at those hot spots between the headboard and the wall, and the seams of the mattress and the box spring” for any brown spots or insects, Benjamin Parker, assistant professor of biology at UNC Chapel Hill, told The Raleigh News & Observer.
Once you’re home, be sure to run your clothes and bags through a hot wash cycle and dry them on high heat.
A sustained temperature of “120 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or so is enough to kill live bed bugs and their eggs,” Parker said.
The short of it? Don’t panic, Parker said.
People’s first reaction may also be to chuck their mattress and other furniture out on the curb. But experts say that’s not a good idea either and will only encourage the bugs to spread to your neighbors.
“Almost anyone who has a bed bug infestation in their home is going to want to call a professional,” Parker told The N&O. “They’re pretty hard to fight on your own … and a professional is going to be better at dealing with that.”
These U.S. cities — many of them travel hot spots — cracked the Top 10 for worst bed bug infestations, according to the Orkin report:
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Inspired by a story published in The State.