Belmar, NJ
Belmar wildfire risk explained
Belmar's 2,932 buildings earn a 62nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Belmar's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 63rd percentile nationally.
Where Belmar's buildings actually sit
Most of Belmar's buildings (100% of 2,932) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Where Belmar ranks
There's little gap between Belmar's 62nd national percentile and its 71st percentile inside New Jersey, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belmar ranks 11,880 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,539 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 201 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Belmar and the insurance market
Belmar's high rating (62nd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
Belmar's 100% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Belmar's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,932 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Belmar. The exposure-zones guide covers what Belmar's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.