Eeek! Roaches!

The 25 Cities In America Where Roaches Rule

Cockroaches scatter when the light is turned on at night. Just the thought of these pests causes disgust and fear, but which U.S. cities have the biggest roach problems? To find out, Pest Gnome ranked The 25 Roachiest Cities in America.

They compared the cities based on the share of homes with signs of cockroaches, periods of extreme heat, which roaches love, and access to pest control professionals.

They also included expert tips on how to get rid of and how to prevent roaches — plus a by-the-roaches fun facts quiz for everything readers might want to know (or don’t) about these common household pests.

Houston leads their list of the cockroachiest cities in America with 37% of homes showing signs of these pests in the past 12 months. The cause of all those bugs? The heat and humidity. People hate the swelter, but roaches thrive in these conditions. With roaches being such a big problem in the Bayou City, the pest control industry is thriving here.

San Antonio landed at No. 2 on the list with 28.32% of homes showing signs of roaches in the past 12 months. Tampa, Florida, Phoenix, and Las Vegas crawled (or skittered?) to finish in the Top 5. All of these cities have sun and heat in summer, which roaches love, and winters here just don’t get cold enough to kill them off.

Cold kills roaches, which explains why Seattle landed at the bottom of Pest Gnome’s roachiest cities ranking. Other northern metros where freezing temps torpedo roaches are Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, and Rochester, New York.

To see full report, visit https://pestgnome.com/blog/studies/roachiest-cities-in-us/.