Mountain Dale, NY
Mountain Dale, NY's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Mountain Dale at the 47th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 698 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 Mountain Dale at the 47th percentile, close to its 47th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
87.5% of Mountain Dale's 698 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 611 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 12.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Mountain Dale compares
Within New York, Mountain Dale ranks higher (91st percentile) than it does nationally (47th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mountain Dale ranks 16,767 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,675 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 114 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
Mountain Dale's elevated wildfire rating (47th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Mountain Dale (87.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Mountain Dale's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 698 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Mountain Dale. The exposure-zones guide covers what Mountain Dale's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.