Vernon Valley, NJ
Vernon Valley wildfire risk explained
Vernon Valley's 661 buildings earn a 48th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Vernon Valley's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 49th percentile nationally.
Vernon Valley's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Vernon Valley's 661 counted buildings, 68.5% carry Direct exposure and only 0.6% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Vernon Valley ranks
Vernon Valley scores 48th nationally and 55th within New Jersey — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Vernon Valley ranks 16,297 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,049 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 318 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Vernon Valley and the insurance market
At the 48th national percentile, Vernon Valley rates elevated 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
Vernon Valley's 68.5% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Vernon Valley's figures come from
Vernon Valley's 48th-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 Vernon Valley's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.