Arnold, MD
Arnold wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Arnold at the 31st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 7,556 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Arnold's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 30th percentile nationally.
Where Arnold's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Arnold: 63.5% of its 7,556 buildings, versus 15.8% Indirect and 20.7% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap. At 7,556 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Arnold ranks
Arnold's 48th-percentile standing inside Maryland outpaces its 31st national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Arnold ranks 21,866 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,264 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 276 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
Arnold and the insurance market
At the 31st national percentile, Arnold rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Arnold
Because Direct exposure dominates in Arnold (63.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 7,556 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Arnold. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Arnold, see the exposure-zones guide.