Black River, NY
Black River wildfire risk explained
Black River sits at the 5th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 655 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Black River at the 5th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Black River's buildings actually sit
Most of Black River's buildings (51.5% of 655) 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 Black River ranks
Black River's risk sits at a similar level relative to New York (4th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (5th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Black River ranks 30,045 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,135 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 1,233 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Black River
Black River's low rating (5th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Black River's 51.5% 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 Black River's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Black River's 30,045-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Black River's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.