Bellefonte, PA
How exposed is Bellefonte to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Bellefonte lands at the 44th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 3,029 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Bellefonte's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 42nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
3,029 buildings are counted in Bellefonte, and 90.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 9.3% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Bellefonte compares
Bellefonte's 71st-percentile standing inside Pennsylvania outpaces its 44th 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, Bellefonte ranks 17,724 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,386 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 588 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Bellefonte and the insurance market
At the 44th national percentile, Bellefonte rates elevated 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 Bellefonte
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Bellefonte (90.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Bellefonte's 44th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Bellefonte, see the exposure-zones guide.