Wharton, NJ
How exposed is Wharton to wildfire?
Wharton sits at the 31st 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 2,024 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Wharton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 29th percentile nationally.
Wharton's building exposure, zone by zone
Only 24.2% of Wharton's 2,024 buildings carry Direct exposure and 28.1% carry Indirect; the remaining 47.7% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Where Wharton ranks
Wharton scores 31st nationally and 26th within New Jersey — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wharton ranks 21,909 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,401 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Jersey alone, it ranks 520 of 700 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Jersey on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Wharton
At the 31st national percentile, Wharton rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With 47.7% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Wharton gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Wharton's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Wharton's 21,909-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Wharton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.