Big Flats, NY
Big Flats, NY's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Big Flats lands at the 25th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 2,835 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Big Flats at the 25th percentile, close to its 25th-percentile risk score.
Big Flats's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Big Flats: 63.7% of its 2,835 buildings, versus 36.3% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Big Flats against the rest of the country
Within New York, Big Flats ranks higher (53rd 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, Big Flats ranks 23,548 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,687 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 600 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Big Flats and the insurance market
Big Flats'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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Big Flats (63.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Big Flats's figures come from
Big Flats's 25th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Big Flats's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.