Drifting, PA
Drifting wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Drifting lands at the 53rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 89 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Drifting at the 53rd percentile, close to its 53rd-percentile risk score.
Where Drifting's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 88.8% of Drifting's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 11.2% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 79 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Drifting compares
Compare Drifting's two percentiles: 88th within Pennsylvania, only 53rd nationally — a gap of 35 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Drifting ranks 14,698 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,549 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 234 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 53rd national percentile, Drifting 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 Drifting (88.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Drifting's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Drifting's 14,698-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Drifting's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.