As summer sets in and temperatures rise across the United States, homeowners across the country are gearing up for their annual battle with mosquitoes.
The U.S. boasts more than 200 varieties of mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but only 12 of those spread disease. The bugs thrive in scorching temperatures and still water and can spread West Nile, the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. The CDC has reported 16 cases of West Nile across 11 states so far this year. Last year, the organization counted 1,791 human infections and 164 deaths.
While some people protect themselves with long sleeves and generous amounts of bug spray, others also turn their attention toward their property, purchasing mosquito treatment and extermination plans, allowing companies to measure changes in demand — and emerging hotspots.
Orkin, a pest-control company headquartered in Atlanta, has kicked off mosquito season with its annual “Top 50 Mosquito Cities List,” ranking hotspots based on the number of new residential treatments and control measures it performed between April 2024 and March 2025 in a given city. The company compares the number of new services performed in each city on the list, determining the percentage its treatments accounted for.
The list’s Top 10 cities included some familiar locales: Los Angeles has held the top spot for four straight years.
- 1. Los Angeles
- 2. Chicago
- 3. New York
- 4. Atlanta
- 5. Detroit
- 6. Houston
- 7. Dallas
- 8. Washington, D.C.
- 9. Cleveland
10. Denver
Detroit, Cleveland (ninth), and Denver (10th) made their first-ever appearances on Orkin’s Top 10 listing, the company said in a press release, a result of climbing temperatures in the northern U.S.