Highland, MD
Highland wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Highland lands at the 19th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 553 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 Highland at the 17th percentile, close to its 19th-percentile risk score.
Where Highland's buildings actually sit
98.6% of Highland's 553 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 545 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 1.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Highland ranks
Highland's risk sits at a similar level relative to Maryland (23rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (19th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Highland ranks 25,589 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,525 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 406 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 19th national percentile, Highland rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Highland
Because Direct exposure dominates in Highland (98.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Highland's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Highland's 25,589-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Highland's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.