Malaga, NJ
Malaga, NJ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Malaga at the 72nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 702 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Malaga at the 70th percentile, close to its 72nd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 69.9% of Malaga's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 30.1% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 491 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Malaga against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Malaga's 72nd national percentile and its 80th percentile inside New Jersey, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Malaga ranks 8,861 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,636 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 138 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Malaga
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Malaga carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Malaga (69.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Malaga's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 702 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Malaga. The exposure-zones guide covers what Malaga's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.