Vernon, NY
Vernon wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Vernon at the 6th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 572 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Vernon at the 6th 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
57.3% of Vernon's 572 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 42.3% Direct and 0.4% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Vernon against the rest of the country
Vernon's risk sits at a similar level relative to New York (10th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (6th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Vernon ranks 29,541 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,221 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 1,155 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Vernon's low rating (6th 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 57.3% of Vernon's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Vernon's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 572 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Vernon. The exposure-zones guide covers what Vernon's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.