West Pawlet, VT
West Pawlet wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts West Pawlet at the 22nd national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 160 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts West Pawlet at the 21st percentile, close to its 22nd-percentile risk score.
Where West Pawlet's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 75% of West Pawlet's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 25% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 120 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where West Pawlet ranks
Within Vermont, West Pawlet ranks higher (97th percentile) than it does nationally (22nd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Pawlet ranks 24,534 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,461 by building count (1 is largest). Within Vermont alone, it ranks 7 of 179 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Vermont on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
West Pawlet's moderate rating (22nd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in West Pawlet
Because Direct exposure dominates in West Pawlet (75%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where West Pawlet's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 160 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for West Pawlet. The exposure-zones guide covers what West Pawlet's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.