Chatham, NJ
Chatham, NJ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Chatham's 3,245 buildings earn a 26th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (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 28th percentile nationally.
Where Chatham's buildings actually sit
62% of Chatham's 3,245 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 2,013 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 38% are Minimal.
Where Chatham ranks
Chatham's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Jersey (19th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (26th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chatham ranks 23,236 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,108 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 570 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Chatham's moderate rating (26th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Chatham (62%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Chatham's figures come from
Chatham's 26th-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 Chatham's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.