West Chatham, MA
West Chatham wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, West Chatham lands at the 24th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 2,040 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Chatham's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 16th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of West Chatham's buildings (89.8% of 2,040) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
West Chatham against the rest of the country
Compare West Chatham's two percentiles: 41st within Massachusetts, only 24th nationally — a gap of 17 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Chatham ranks 23,833 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,354 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 149 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
West Chatham's moderate wildfire rating (24th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Even with 89.8% of West Chatham outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where West Chatham's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,040 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for West Chatham. The exposure-zones guide covers what West Chatham's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.