Chatham, MA
How exposed is Chatham to wildfire?
USFS scores Chatham at the 12th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 2,327 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Chatham's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 9th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 89% of Chatham's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 11% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Where Chatham ranks
Chatham scores 12th nationally and 2nd within Massachusetts — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chatham ranks 27,733 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,650 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 244 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Chatham
At the 12th national percentile, Chatham rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 89% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Chatham gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Chatham's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Chatham's 27,733-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Chatham's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.