Gray, ME
Gray wildfire risk explained
Gray sits at the 17th 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 565 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gray at the 16th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
62.8% of Gray's 565 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 355 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 37.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Gray ranks
Within Maine, Gray ranks higher (77th percentile) than it does nationally (17th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gray ranks 26,312 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,323 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 37 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Gray's low wildfire rating (17th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 62.8% of Gray in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Gray's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 565 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gray. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gray's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.