West Homestead, PA
West Homestead, PA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
West Homestead sits at the 24th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,057 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks West Homestead at the 24th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Only 9.5% of West Homestead's 1,057 buildings carry Direct exposure and 12.1% carry Indirect; the remaining 78.4% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
How West Homestead compares
West Homestead scores 24th nationally and 27th within Pennsylvania — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Homestead ranks 24,125 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,551 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 1,463 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 24th national percentile, West Homestead rates moderate 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 West Homestead
Even with 78.4% of West Homestead outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where West Homestead's figures come from
West Homestead's 24th-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 West Homestead's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.