South Hero, VT
How exposed is South Hero to wildfire?
South Hero's 264 buildings earn a 20th-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 Hero's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 19th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in South Hero: 77.7% of its 264 buildings, versus 16.7% Indirect and 5.7% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
South Hero against the rest of the country
Within Vermont, South Hero ranks higher (92nd percentile) than it does nationally (20th) — 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 Hero ranks 25,166 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,713 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 16 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in South Hero
At the 20th national percentile, South Hero rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With 77.7% of South Hero in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where South Hero's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 264 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for South Hero. The exposure-zones guide covers what South Hero's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.