Salem, NJ
Salem wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Salem lands at the 46th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,880 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Salem at the 43rd national percentile — 3 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
81.8% of Salem's 1,880 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 18.2% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
How Salem compares
Salem's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Jersey (51st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (46th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Salem ranks 17,023 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,822 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 342 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
At the 46th national percentile, Salem 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 Salem
Salem's 81.8% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Salem's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,880 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Salem. The exposure-zones guide covers what Salem's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.