Swarthmore, PA
Swarthmore, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Swarthmore at the 19th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 1,722 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Swarthmore's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 20th percentile nationally.
Where Swarthmore's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Swarthmore: 63.3% of its 1,722 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 36.7% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Swarthmore ranks
There's little gap between Swarthmore's 19th national percentile and its 21st percentile inside Pennsylvania, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Swarthmore ranks 25,449 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,333 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,580 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
Swarthmore's low rating (19th 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 Swarthmore
With 63.3% of Swarthmore in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,722 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Swarthmore. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Swarthmore, see the exposure-zones guide.