Pawling, NY
Pawling wildfire risk explained
Pawling sits at the 43rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 785 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Pawling at the 42nd national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
51.1% of Pawling's 785 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 48.9% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Pawling ranks
Within New York, Pawling ranks higher (88th percentile) than it does nationally (43rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Pawling ranks 17,875 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,771 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 151 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
Pawling and the insurance market
At the 43rd national percentile, Pawling rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Pawling
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Pawling (51.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Pawling's figures come from
Pawling'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 Pawling's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.