Steep Falls, ME
Steep Falls, ME's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Steep Falls sits at the 18th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 600 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Steep Falls's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 18th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 93.3% of Steep Falls's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 6.7% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 560 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Steep Falls ranks
Steep Falls's 81st-percentile standing inside Maine outpaces its 18th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Steep Falls ranks 26,004 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,834 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 30 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
Steep Falls and the insurance market
Steep Falls's low wildfire rating (18th 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 Steep Falls (93.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Steep Falls's figures come from
Steep Falls's 18th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Steep Falls's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.