Peru, PA
Peru wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Peru lands at the 47th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 34 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Peru at the 45th national percentile — 2 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
USFS classifies 100% of Peru's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 34 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Peru against the rest of the country
Compare Peru's two percentiles: 76th within Pennsylvania, only 47th nationally — a gap of 29 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Peru ranks 16,622 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,300 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 470 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Peru
Peru's elevated rating (47th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Peru
Peru's 100% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Peru's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 34 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Peru. The exposure-zones guide covers what Peru's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.