Ernest, PA
Ernest, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Ernest at the 40th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 255 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ernest's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 41st percentile nationally.
Where Ernest's buildings actually sit
255 buildings are counted in Ernest, and 75.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 24.3% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Ernest ranks
Compare Ernest's two percentiles: 63rd 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, Ernest ranks 18,858 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,991 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 733 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Ernest
Ernest's elevated rating (40th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Ernest
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Ernest (75.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Ernest's 18,858-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Ernest, see the exposure-zones guide.