Boston, PA
How exposed is Boston to wildfire?
Boston sits at the 30th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 336 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Boston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 31st percentile nationally.
Where Boston's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Boston (88.1% of 336 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 11.9% sit in the Direct zone.
Boston against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Boston's 30th national percentile and its 39th percentile inside Pennsylvania, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Boston ranks 22,008 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,684 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,219 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Boston
Boston's moderate wildfire rating (30th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Boston (88.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Boston's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Boston's 22,008-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Boston's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.