New Paltz, NY
How exposed is New Paltz to wildfire?
USFS scores New Paltz at the 41st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,208 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, New Paltz's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 42nd percentile nationally.
New Paltz's building exposure, zone by zone
67.8% of New Paltz's 1,208 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 32.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where New Paltz ranks
New Paltz's 86th-percentile standing inside New York outpaces its 41st national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, New Paltz ranks 18,531 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,601 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 180 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in New Paltz
New Paltz's elevated rating (41st 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
New Paltz's 67.8% 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 New Paltz's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind New Paltz's 18,531-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what New Paltz's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.