Andes, NY
Andes wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Andes at the 25th national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 269 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Andes's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 25th percentile nationally.
Where Andes's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Andes: 84.4% of its 269 buildings, versus 15.6% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Andes compares
Within New York, Andes ranks higher (51st percentile) than it does nationally (25th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Andes ranks 23,804 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,544 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 628 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Andes and the insurance market
Andes's moderate wildfire rating (25th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Andes (84.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Andes's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 269 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Andes. The exposure-zones guide covers what Andes's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.