South Eliot, ME
South Eliot wildfire risk explained
South Eliot's 2,092 buildings earn a 22nd-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.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts South Eliot at the 20th percentile, close to its 22nd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 68.1% of South Eliot's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 29.1% Indirect share and far above its 2.8% Minimal share — a profile where 1,424 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where South Eliot ranks
Within Maine, South Eliot ranks higher (89th percentile) than it does nationally (22nd) — 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 Eliot ranks 24,709 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,215 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 18 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
South Eliot and the insurance market
South Eliot's moderate wildfire rating (22nd percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in South Eliot (68.1%), 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 2,092 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for South Eliot. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond South Eliot, see the exposure-zones guide.