Northfield, MA
Northfield wildfire risk explained
Northfield's 787 buildings earn a 22nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Northfield's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 20th percentile nationally.
Where Northfield's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 82.2% of Northfield's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 17.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 647 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Northfield against the rest of the country
Northfield scores 22nd nationally and 28th within Massachusetts — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Northfield ranks 24,650 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,749 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 179 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Northfield and the insurance market
Northfield's moderate wildfire rating (22nd 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 Northfield (82.2%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Northfield's 22nd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Northfield, see the exposure-zones guide.