Arlington, VT
Arlington, VT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Arlington at the 20th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 814 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Arlington at the 20th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Arlington's building exposure, zone by zone
814 buildings are counted in Arlington, and 78.5% 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.
How Arlington compares
Within Vermont, Arlington ranks higher (92nd percentile) than it does nationally (20th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Arlington ranks 25,134 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,515 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 15 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
Arlington and the insurance market
Arlington's moderate wildfire rating (20th 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.
Hardening a home in Arlington
Because Direct exposure dominates in Arlington (78.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Arlington's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 814 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Arlington. The exposure-zones guide covers what Arlington's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.