Watertown, TN
Watertown wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Watertown lands at the 32nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 892 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Watertown at the 34th percentile, close to its 32nd-percentile risk score.
Watertown's building exposure, zone by zone
892 buildings are counted in Watertown, and 57.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 42.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Watertown ranks
Watertown scores 32nd nationally and 20th within Tennessee — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Watertown ranks 21,576 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,794 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 402 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Watertown
Watertown's moderate wildfire rating (32nd 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Watertown's 57.2% 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 892 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.