Vernon, WI
Vernon wildfire risk explained
Vernon sits at the 34th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,334 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 Vernon at the 35th percentile, close to its 34th-percentile risk score.
Vernon's building exposure, zone by zone
87.1% of Vernon's 4,334 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 3,776 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 4.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 8.8% are Minimal.
How Vernon compares
Compare Vernon's two percentiles: 78th within Wisconsin, only 34th nationally — a gap of 44 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Vernon ranks 20,883 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,957 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 183 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Vernon and the insurance market
Vernon's moderate rating (34th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Vernon (87.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Vernon's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 4,334 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Vernon. The exposure-zones guide covers what Vernon's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.