Skowhegan, ME
Skowhegan wildfire risk explained
Skowhegan sits at the 7th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 3,793 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Skowhegan's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 8th percentile nationally.
Skowhegan's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Skowhegan (74.3% of 3,793 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 25.7% sit in the Direct zone.
Skowhegan against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Skowhegan's 7th national percentile and its 17th percentile inside Maine, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Skowhegan ranks 29,222 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,431 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 130 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Skowhegan's low rating (7th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Skowhegan
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Skowhegan (74.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Skowhegan's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Skowhegan's 29,222-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Skowhegan's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.