Boswell, PA
Boswell, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Boswell at the 50th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 636 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Boswell's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 50th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Boswell's buildings (77.4%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
How Boswell compares
Boswell's 81st-percentile standing inside Pennsylvania outpaces its 50th 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, Boswell ranks 15,897 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,395 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 376 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 50th national percentile, Boswell rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Boswell's 77.4% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Boswell's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 636 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Boswell. The exposure-zones guide covers what Boswell's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.