Hillsboro, MD
How exposed is Hillsboro to wildfire?
Hillsboro's 98 buildings earn a 43rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hillsboro at the 44th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Hillsboro's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 51% of Hillsboro's 98 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 49% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
How Hillsboro compares
Within Maryland, Hillsboro ranks higher (62nd percentile) than it does nationally (43rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hillsboro ranks 17,961 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,124 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 202 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 43rd national percentile, Hillsboro rates elevated 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 Hillsboro
Because 51% of Hillsboro'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 Hillsboro's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hillsboro's 17,961-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hillsboro's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.