Keene, NH
Keene, NH's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Keene lands at the 16th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 7,633 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Keene's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 16th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
7,633 buildings are counted in Keene, and 76.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 23.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal. At 7,633 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Keene ranks
Compare Keene's two percentiles: 36th within New Hampshire, only 16th nationally — a gap of 20 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Keene ranks 26,347 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,236 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Hampshire alone, it ranks 64 of 100 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Hampshire on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Keene's low wildfire rating (16th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Keene's 76.2% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Keene's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 7,633 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Keene. The exposure-zones guide covers what Keene's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.