Ridgely, MD
Ridgely wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Ridgely at the 31st national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 762 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ridgely's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 31st percentile nationally.
Ridgely's building exposure, zone by zone
762 buildings are counted in Ridgely, and 67.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 31.1% in Direct exposure or the 1.4% rated Minimal.
Ridgely against the rest of the country
Within Maryland, Ridgely ranks higher (48th percentile) than it does nationally (31st) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ridgely ranks 21,708 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,995 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 272 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
Ridgely's moderate rating (31st 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 Ridgely
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Ridgely (67.5% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Ridgely's 31st-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Ridgely, see the exposure-zones guide.