Is Oklahoma the worst state for bed bugs in 2024?

Does Oklahoma have the most bed bug issues of any state, in 2024?:

Google Trends data for Oklahoma seems to indicate that there are more Google searches for queries or phrases for things like, "bed bug bites" and "how to kill bed bugs" than any other state currently.

10 total queries relating to bed bugs were analyzed and it was found that Oklahomans searched for more bed bug related phrases than any other state at the time of the research.

Here are the most bothered states:

Oklahoma
West Virgina
Kansas
Kentucky
Indiana
Arkansas
Missouri
South Dakota
Ohio
South Carolina

Here are the least bothered states:

Oregon
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Connecticut
Washington
California
Minnesota
Florida
Colorado
Wyoming

-Cited by "Pest Control Technology", Where bed bugs are found the most (and least) in the US. Written Dec. 25th 2023 by Amanda Donchatz.

With a score of 99/100, the same study determined that Oklahoma has the nation's biggest bed bug problem, and therefore the state most bothered by bed bugs. Neighboring Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas are also at the top of that list.

WORST STATES RANK STATES

BED BUG SEARCH SCORE

1 Oklahoma 99.1

2 West Virginia 91.2

3 Kansas 81.6

4 Kentucky 78.2

5 Indiana 76.5

6 Arkansas 76.4

7 Missouri 73.2

8 South Dakota 72.5

9 Ohio 70.3

10 South Carolina 68.2

You can view an interactive visualization featuring a state-level Google Trends analysis of the 10 most searched bed-bug-related queries, HERE. Details regarding the methodology used in this study can be found, HERE.

-Cited by "KNWA Fox 24", Oklahoma has the largest bed bug problem in US, study finds . Written by Dustin Lattimer.

About the data:

The Google Trends data is based off the number of people or bots searching for specific keywords in a given state like, Oklahoma.

Could be more accurate:

It's important to note that these numbers may not completely be accurate. Since it's only based off the amount of searches in the given area and not properly analyzed by the amount of pest management companies or individuals actually performing bed bug treatments in the area, as well. A true study should include both search engines of all kinds, data from companies plus even more areas containing any amounts of data, big or small. If "Dead Bug Walkin" data was included it would reveal that 2023 was just a lil busier with bed bug work than 2022, but not by much. That doesn't say much though, because there was a change in the way we approached work since COVID began to drastically alter all areas of life.

DIYers:

However it is important to remember that there are plenty of "Do It Yourself", people out there as well. Actually most people will try to tackle bed bugs in their home or business before calling a bed bug pro. It's vitally important to use a pest management professional or company from the get go, because most DIY bed bug treatments fail to completely eliminate every single bed bug or egg. Knowledge and experience is key to bed bug removal that lasts.

Dang bots:

One thing I think about is the amount of bots or computers scooping up data that are treated as if they are real people with a search query. I'm sure that this plays a tremendous role in the data from any given search engine like Google. Bots would distort the data.

Don't sell your home and move out of state just yet!:

It may seem scary to hear things like Oklahoma has the most searches for bed bug related queries, but the truth is it's just part of the data needed to properly identify where the most and least bed bugs are in the US.