Belfast, PA
Belfast, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Belfast at the 23rd national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 778 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Belfast at the 23rd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Belfast's buildings actually sit
73.4% of Belfast's 778 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 571 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 26.6% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Belfast ranks
There's little gap between Belfast's 23rd national percentile and its 26th percentile inside Pennsylvania, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belfast ranks 24,209 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,835 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,469 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Belfast
Belfast's moderate rating (23rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Belfast (73.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Belfast's figures come from
Belfast's 23rd-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 Belfast's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.