Hanson, MA
How exposed is Hanson to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Hanson at the 18th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 821 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hanson at the 17th national percentile — 2 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
821 buildings are counted in Hanson, and 68.1% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 7.4% rated Minimal.
Where Hanson ranks
There's little gap between Hanson's 18th national percentile and its 17th percentile inside Massachusetts, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hanson ranks 25,715 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,438 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 207 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hanson
Hanson's low rating (18th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Hanson (68.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hanson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hanson's 25,715-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hanson's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.