Hampden, ME
Hampden wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hampden lands at the 7th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 2,291 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Hampden's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 8th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Of Hampden's 2,291 counted buildings, 63.7% carry Direct exposure and only 0.1% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Hampden compares
Hampden scores 7th nationally and 20th within Maine — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hampden ranks 29,189 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,720 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 124 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
Hampden's low wildfire rating (7th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 63.7% of Hampden 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 Hampden's figures come from
Hampden's 7th-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 Hampden's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.