Madison, NJ
How exposed is Madison to wildfire?
Madison sits at the 28th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 5,197 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Madison at the 29th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
49.1% of Madison's 5,197 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 2,549 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 4.8% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 46.1% are Minimal. At 5,197 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
How Madison compares
Madison scores 28th nationally and 23rd within New Jersey — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Madison ranks 22,569 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,315 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 538 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Madison's moderate rating (28th 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
With 49.1% of Madison in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Madison's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 5,197 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Madison. The exposure-zones guide covers what Madison's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.