Newton, NJ
Newton, NJ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Newton lands at the 43rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 2,548 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 44th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Newton's buildings actually sit
74.9% of Newton's 2,548 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 25.1% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Newton ranks
There's little gap between Newton's 43rd national percentile and its 46th 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, Newton ranks 18,118 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,205 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 377 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Newton
At the 43rd national percentile, Newton rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 74.9% of Newton's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Newton's figures come from
Newton's 43rd-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 Newton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.