Montrose, PA
How exposed is Montrose to wildfire?
USFS scores Montrose at the 34th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 875 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Montrose's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
Montrose's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Montrose's 875 counted buildings, 59.7% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Montrose ranks
Montrose's risk sits at a similar level relative to Pennsylvania (46th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (34th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Montrose ranks 20,968 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,951 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,072 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 34th national percentile, Montrose rates moderate 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 59.7% of Montrose 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 Montrose's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 875 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Montrose. The exposure-zones guide covers what Montrose's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.