Ellendale, DE
Ellendale, DE's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Ellendale at the 51st national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 259 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 Ellendale at the 50th percentile, close to its 51st-percentile risk score.
Ellendale's building exposure, zone by zone
73.4% of Ellendale's 259 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 26.6% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Ellendale against the rest of the country
Within Delaware, Ellendale ranks higher (86th percentile) than it does nationally (51st) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ellendale ranks 15,437 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,846 by building count (1 is largest). Within Delaware alone, it ranks 12 of 79 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Delaware on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 51st national percentile, Ellendale 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 73.4% of Ellendale's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Ellendale's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Ellendale's 15,437-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ellendale's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.