South Shaftsbury, VT
How exposed is South Shaftsbury to wildfire?
USFS scores South Shaftsbury at the 19th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 458 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks South Shaftsbury at the 20th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in South Shaftsbury: 51.5% of its 458 buildings, versus 48.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
South Shaftsbury against the rest of the country
Within Vermont, South Shaftsbury ranks higher (88th percentile) than it does nationally (19th) — 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 Shaftsbury ranks 25,419 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,117 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 22 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
South Shaftsbury and the insurance market
South Shaftsbury's low rating (19th 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 Shaftsbury (51.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where South Shaftsbury's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 458 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for South Shaftsbury. The exposure-zones guide covers what South Shaftsbury's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.