Shelton, CT
Shelton, CT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Shelton sits at the 32nd 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 15,352 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Shelton at the 31st percentile, close to its 32nd-percentile risk score.
Where Shelton's buildings actually sit
15,352 buildings are counted in Shelton, and 54.7% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 8% rated Minimal. At 15,352 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Shelton against the rest of the country
Compare Shelton's two percentiles: 51st within Connecticut, only 32nd nationally — a gap of 20 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Shelton ranks 21,516 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 965 by building count (1 is largest). Within Connecticut alone, it ranks 105 of 214 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Connecticut on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 32nd national percentile, Shelton rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Shelton (54.7%), 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 15,352 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Shelton. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Shelton, see the exposure-zones guide.