Sutton, VT
Sutton wildfire risk explained
Sutton sits at the 13th 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 130 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Sutton at the 13th percentile, close to its 13th-percentile risk score.
Where Sutton's buildings actually sit
97.7% of Sutton's 130 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 127 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Sutton against the rest of the country
Sutton's risk sits at a similar level relative to Vermont (19th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (13th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sutton ranks 27,497 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,735 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 146 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sutton
Sutton's low wildfire rating (13th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Sutton (97.7%), 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
Sutton's 13th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Sutton, see the exposure-zones guide.