Romancoke, MD
Romancoke wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Romancoke lands at the 54th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 890 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Romancoke at the 52nd national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Romancoke's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Romancoke's 890 counted buildings, 77.5% carry Direct exposure and only 22.5% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Romancoke compares
Within Maryland, Romancoke ranks higher (74th percentile) than it does nationally (54th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Romancoke ranks 14,531 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,810 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 136 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
Romancoke's elevated rating (54th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Romancoke (77.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Romancoke's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 890 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Romancoke. The exposure-zones guide covers what Romancoke's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.