Monaca's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Monaca in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Monaca sits at the 25th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Monaca sits in Pennsylvania

USGS's underlying values for Monaca: 0.045g peak ground acceleration, 0.093g at short period, 0.045g at 1 second. Within Pennsylvania alone, Monaca ranks 118 of 193 cities by seismic hazard - the 39th percentile in-state. Monaca has a population of about 5,466.

What a retrofit costs in Monaca

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Pennsylvania specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Pennsylvania.

Earthquake insurance for a Monaca home

A Monaca homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Monaca's figures come from

Monaca's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Monaca.