Nichols, NY
Nichols wildfire risk explained
Nichols sits at the 27th 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 301 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Nichols at the 27th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Nichols's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Nichols: 53.5% of its 301 buildings, versus 46.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Nichols against the rest of the country
Compare Nichols's two percentiles: 56th within New York, only 27th nationally — a gap of 29 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Nichols ranks 23,108 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,608 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 574 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Nichols and the insurance market
Nichols's moderate rating (27th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Nichols (53.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Nichols's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Nichols's 23,108-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Nichols's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.