Bolton, VT
Bolton wildfire risk explained
Bolton sits at the 15th 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 30 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Bolton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 15th percentile nationally.
Bolton's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Bolton (73.3% of 30 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 26.7% sit in the Direct zone.
How Bolton compares
Compare Bolton's two percentiles: 42nd within Vermont, only 15th nationally — a gap of 27 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bolton ranks 26,802 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,368 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 103 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
Bolton and the insurance market
At the 15th national percentile, Bolton rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Bolton's 73.3% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Bolton's figures come from
Bolton's 15th-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 Bolton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.