Bedford, PA
Bedford wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Bedford at the 48th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,510 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Bedford's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 47th percentile nationally.
Where Bedford's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Bedford (92.3% of 1,510 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 7.8% sit in the Direct zone.
How Bedford compares
Compare Bedford's two percentiles: 79th within Pennsylvania, only 48th nationally — a gap of 31 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bedford ranks 16,274 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,120 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 421 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 48th national percentile, Bedford rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Bedford's 92.3% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Bedford's figures come from
Bedford's 48th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bedford's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.