Towanda, PA
How exposed is Towanda to wildfire?
Towanda's 1,359 buildings earn a 33rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Towanda's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 32nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Towanda (80.7% of 1,359 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 19.4% sit in the Direct zone.
Towanda against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Towanda's 33rd national percentile and its 45th percentile inside Pennsylvania, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Towanda ranks 21,099 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,794 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,092 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 33rd national percentile, Towanda 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
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Towanda (80.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Towanda's figures come from
Towanda's 33rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Towanda's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.