West Alexander, PA
West Alexander, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, West Alexander lands at the 42nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 359 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Alexander's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 44th percentile nationally.
Where West Alexander's buildings actually sit
359 buildings are counted in West Alexander, and 81.3% 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.
West Alexander against the rest of the country
Compare West Alexander's two percentiles: 66th within Pennsylvania, only 42nd nationally — a gap of 24 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Alexander ranks 18,355 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,101 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 676 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 42nd national percentile, West Alexander rates elevated 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 West Alexander (81.3%), 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
Every one of the two percentiles behind West Alexander's 18,355-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond West Alexander, see the exposure-zones guide.