Watertown, CT
Watertown, CT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Watertown sits at the 36th 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 1,774 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Watertown at the 36th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Watertown's building exposure, zone by zone
1,774 buildings are counted in Watertown, and 49.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 40.5% in Direct exposure or the 9.8% rated Minimal.
Where Watertown ranks
Compare Watertown's two percentiles: 65th within Connecticut, only 36th nationally — a gap of 29 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Watertown ranks 20,033 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,141 by building count (1 is largest). Within Connecticut alone, it ranks 75 of 214 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Connecticut on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Watertown
Watertown's moderate rating (36th 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
Watertown's 49.7% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Watertown's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,774 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Watertown. The exposure-zones guide covers what Watertown's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.