South Montrose, PA
South Montrose wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts South Montrose at the 38th national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 210 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks South Montrose at the 40th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where South Montrose's buildings actually sit
210 buildings are counted in South Montrose, and 93.8% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
How South Montrose compares
South Montrose's 57th-percentile standing inside Pennsylvania outpaces its 38th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Montrose ranks 19,553 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,495 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 853 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in South Montrose
At the 38th national percentile, South Montrose rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in South Montrose (93.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where South Montrose's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind South Montrose's 19,553-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what South Montrose's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.