Mountainside, NJ
Mountainside, NJ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Mountainside sits at the 33rd 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 2,894 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Mountainside's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 32nd percentile nationally.
Where Mountainside's buildings actually sit
58.5% of Mountainside's 2,894 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,692 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 40.8% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0.7% are Minimal.
Where Mountainside ranks
Mountainside's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Jersey (30th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (33rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mountainside ranks 21,178 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,596 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 488 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Mountainside
Mountainside's moderate wildfire rating (33rd 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Mountainside (58.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Mountainside's figures come from
Mountainside's 33rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Mountainside's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.