Dawson, MD
Dawson, MD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Dawson sits at the 60th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 87 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Dawson at the 58th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Dawson's buildings actually sit
100% of Dawson's 87 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 87 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Dawson ranks
Dawson's 87th-percentile standing inside Maryland outpaces its 60th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Dawson ranks 12,482 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,618 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 71 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Dawson's 60th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Dawson
Because Direct exposure dominates in Dawson (100%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Dawson's figures come from
Dawson's 60th-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 Dawson's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.