Benson, PA
Benson wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Benson at the 45th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 139 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Benson at the 46th percentile, close to its 45th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Benson: 52.5% of its 139 buildings, versus 47.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Benson against the rest of the country
Benson's 72nd-percentile standing inside Pennsylvania outpaces its 45th 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, Benson ranks 17,377 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,342 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 553 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Benson and the insurance market
Benson's elevated wildfire rating (45th 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.
Hardening a home in Benson
Because Direct exposure dominates in Benson (52.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Benson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Benson's 17,377-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Benson's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.