Yes, and increasingly so. Michigan Lyme disease cases have surged in recent years, roughly quadrupling between 2022 and 2025, and the state is now classified as a high-incidence area for Lyme disease.
It's easy to think of Lyme disease as a New England problem. But that’s a mistake because Lyme disease has gotten a foothold in Michigan in recent years.
Michigan recorded a few hundred confirmed Lyme cases in 2022 and several times that by 2025, an increase of roughly 300%. That jump was enough for the state to be classified for the first time as a high-incidence jurisdiction, which is a designation that is applied to areas where there are more than ten Lyme disease cases per 100,000 people. More than sixty counties in the state now carry a known Lyme disease risk, with more flagged as potential.
Behind the case numbers, you can blame deer ticks (aka blacklegged ticks) that carry Lyme disease. Deer ticks used to be rare here, but that’s no longer the case. The ticks and the bacteria they are known to carry have been spreading northward along the Lake Michigan shoreline and much of the Lower Peninsula, including the central part of the state where Lansing sits. Historically the risk was highest in the western Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, but the trend has been outward and steady.
Milder winters have been letting ticks survive and thrive for longer, which has been increasing their population numbers. Better awareness and testing account for some of the apparent rise in Lyme disease as well, but the underlying spread is still real.
If you spend time in areas where ticks are known to be, do a tick check before coming back inside. Ticks usually need 24 hours or more to transmit Lyme disease, so removing them quickly cuts down on your risk. Likewise, if you develop a fever, rash, or aches after time outdoors, it's worth talking to a healthcare provider.
If you're tired of worrying about ticks every time the family's been outside, Mosquito Squad of Greater Lansing can help. Mosquito Squad treats the shaded, brushy zones where deer ticks wait, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
