Ocean Pines, MD
How exposed is Ocean Pines to wildfire?
USFS scores Ocean Pines at the 44th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 7,760 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ocean Pines's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 42nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
52.7% of Ocean Pines's 7,760 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 4,093 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 47.3% are Minimal. At 7,760 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
How Ocean Pines compares
Ocean Pines's 63rd-percentile standing inside Maryland outpaces its 44th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ocean Pines ranks 17,680 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,195 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 194 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
Ocean Pines and the insurance market
At the 44th national percentile, Ocean Pines 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 Direct exposure dominates in Ocean Pines (52.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Ocean Pines's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Ocean Pines's 17,680-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ocean Pines's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.