Elgin, PA
Elgin, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Elgin at the 40th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 157 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Elgin's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 41st percentile nationally.
Where Elgin's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Elgin: 95.5% of its 157 buildings, versus 4.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Elgin ranks
Compare Elgin's two percentiles: 64th within Pennsylvania, only 40th nationally — a gap of 23 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elgin ranks 18,856 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,581 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 731 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Elgin
At the 40th national percentile, Elgin 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
With 95.5% of Elgin in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Elgin's figures come from
Elgin's 40th-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 Elgin's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.