Hardwick, VT
Hardwick, VT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hardwick lands at the 12th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 749 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Hardwick at the 13th percentile, close to its 12th-percentile risk score.
Where Hardwick's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Hardwick (68.2% of 749 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 31.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Hardwick against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Hardwick's 12th national percentile and its 14th percentile inside Vermont, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hardwick ranks 27,652 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,135 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 154 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
Hardwick and the insurance market
Hardwick's low rating (12th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Hardwick
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Hardwick (68.2% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Hardwick's figures come from
Hardwick's 12th-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 Hardwick's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.