Dayton, NJ
How exposed is Dayton to wildfire?
Dayton's 1,776 buildings earn a 45th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Dayton at the 46th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Dayton's building exposure, zone by zone
77.8% of Dayton's 1,776 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 22.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Dayton ranks
Dayton's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Jersey (49th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (45th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Dayton ranks 17,273 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,137 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 354 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
Dayton's elevated wildfire rating (45th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Hardening a home in Dayton
Dayton's 77.8% 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 Dayton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,776 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Dayton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Dayton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.