South Ashburnham, MA
South Ashburnham wildfire risk explained
South Ashburnham's 536 buildings earn a 24th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, South Ashburnham's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 24th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 78.2% of South Ashburnham's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 21.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 419 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How South Ashburnham compares
Within Massachusetts, South Ashburnham ranks higher (39th percentile) than it does nationally (24th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Ashburnham ranks 23,949 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,779 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 152 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in South Ashburnham
South Ashburnham's moderate rating (24th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in South Ashburnham (78.2%), 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
Every one of the two percentiles behind South Ashburnham's 23,949-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond South Ashburnham, see the exposure-zones guide.