South Deerfield, MA
How exposed is South Deerfield to wildfire?
South Deerfield sits at the 23rd 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 1,098 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, South Deerfield's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 21st percentile nationally.
South Deerfield's building exposure, zone by zone
1,098 buildings are counted in South Deerfield, and 70.8% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 29.2% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
South Deerfield against the rest of the country
South Deerfield scores 23rd nationally and 36th within Massachusetts — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Deerfield ranks 24,200 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,290 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 161 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
South Deerfield's moderate rating (23rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 70.8% of South Deerfield's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,098 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for South Deerfield. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond South Deerfield, see the exposure-zones guide.