Palmerton, PA
Palmerton, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Palmerton at the 56th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 2,416 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Palmerton at the 55th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Palmerton (92% of 2,416 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 8% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Palmerton ranks
Within Pennsylvania, Palmerton ranks higher (92nd percentile) than it does nationally (56th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Palmerton ranks 13,974 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,474 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 168 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Palmerton
Palmerton's elevated rating (56th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Palmerton's 92% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Palmerton's figures come from
Palmerton's 56th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Palmerton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.