Hillside Lake, NY
Hillside Lake wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hillside Lake lands at the 32nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 437 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hillside Lake at the 32nd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Hillside Lake's building exposure, zone by zone
52.4% of Hillside Lake's 437 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 229 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 21.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 26.1% are Minimal.
Where Hillside Lake ranks
Hillside Lake's 69th-percentile standing inside New York outpaces its 32nd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hillside Lake ranks 21,432 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,521 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 400 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 32nd national percentile, Hillside Lake rates moderate 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 Hillside Lake
Because Direct exposure dominates in Hillside Lake (52.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hillside Lake's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hillside Lake's 21,432-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hillside Lake's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.