Black Lick, PA
How exposed is Black Lick to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Black Lick at the 42nd national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 750 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Black Lick at the 41st percentile, close to its 42nd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
750 buildings are counted in Black Lick, and 56% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Black Lick against the rest of the country
Black Lick's 66th-percentile standing inside Pennsylvania outpaces its 42nd 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, Black Lick ranks 18,349 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,127 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 670 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 42nd national percentile, Black Lick 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Black Lick (56%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Black Lick's figures come from
Black Lick's 42nd-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 Black Lick's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.