Shade Gap, PA
How exposed is Shade Gap to wildfire?
Shade Gap's 49 buildings earn a 54th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Shade Gap's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 52nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Shade Gap: 100% of its 49 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Shade Gap against the rest of the country
Within Pennsylvania, Shade Gap ranks higher (89th 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, Shade Gap ranks 14,604 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,966 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 225 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 54th national percentile, Shade Gap rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Shade Gap
Because Direct exposure dominates in Shade Gap (100%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 49 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Shade Gap. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Shade Gap, see the exposure-zones guide.