River Edge, NJ
River Edge, NJ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
River Edge's 3,553 buildings earn a 19th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks River Edge at the 21st national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
80.9% of River Edge's 3,553 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 19.1% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
River Edge against the rest of the country
River Edge's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Jersey (5th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (19th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, River Edge ranks 25,472 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,715 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 669 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
River Edge's low wildfire rating (19th 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.
Hardening a home in River Edge
Even with 80.9% of River Edge outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where River Edge's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,553 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for River Edge. The exposure-zones guide covers what River Edge's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.