Belle Vernon, PA
Belle Vernon, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Belle Vernon lands at the 26th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 471 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Belle Vernon's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 28th percentile nationally.
Where Belle Vernon's buildings actually sit
97.5% of Belle Vernon's 471 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 2.1% Direct and 0.4% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Belle Vernon ranks
There's little gap between Belle Vernon's 26th national percentile and its 31st percentile inside Pennsylvania, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belle Vernon ranks 23,303 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,859 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,374 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Belle Vernon
Belle Vernon's moderate wildfire rating (26th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Belle Vernon (97.5% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Belle Vernon's figures come from
Belle Vernon's 26th-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 Belle Vernon's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.