Jefferson, MD
Jefferson wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Jefferson lands at the 17th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 1,072 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Jefferson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 15th percentile nationally.
Jefferson's building exposure, zone by zone
51.2% of Jefferson's 1,072 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 48.8% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Jefferson ranks
There's little gap between Jefferson's 17th national percentile and its 18th percentile inside Maryland, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Jefferson ranks 26,284 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,452 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 436 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Jefferson's low wildfire rating (17th 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.
Hardening a home in Jefferson
Because 51.2% of Jefferson's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,072 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Jefferson. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Jefferson, see the exposure-zones guide.