Groton, CT
Groton wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Groton lands at the 12th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 3,070 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Groton at the 11th national percentile — 1 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
Only 4.9% of Groton's 3,070 buildings carry Direct exposure and 3.3% carry Indirect; the remaining 91.9% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Groton against the rest of the country
Groton scores 12th nationally and 0th within Connecticut — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Groton ranks 27,631 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,325 by building count (1 is largest). Within Connecticut alone, it ranks 214 of 214 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Connecticut on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Groton
At the 12th national percentile, Groton rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Groton
Even with 91.9% of Groton outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Groton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,070 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Groton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Groton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.