Newton, NC
Newton, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Newton lands at the 39th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 6,351 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Newton at the 42nd national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Newton's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Newton: 40.5% of its 6,351 buildings, versus 22.1% Indirect and 37.3% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap. At 6,351 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Newton ranks
Inside North Carolina, Newton sits at just the 13th percentile even though it scores 39th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Newton ranks 19,352 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,726 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 673 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Newton
Newton's moderate rating (39th 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Newton (40.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Newton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 6,351 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Newton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Newton's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.