Bellingham, MA
Bellingham, MA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Bellingham lands at the 28th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 1,856 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bellingham at the 24th national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
1,856 buildings are counted in Bellingham, and 73.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 25.9% in Direct exposure or the 1% rated Minimal.
Where Bellingham ranks
Bellingham's 68th-percentile standing inside Massachusetts outpaces its 28th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bellingham ranks 22,598 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,890 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 82 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Bellingham and the insurance market
Bellingham's moderate rating (28th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Bellingham (73.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Bellingham's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,856 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bellingham. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bellingham's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.