Alakanuk, AK
How exposed is Alakanuk to wildfire?
USFS scores Alakanuk at the 54th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 231 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Alakanuk at the 61st national percentile — 7 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Alakanuk's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Alakanuk: 70.1% of its 231 buildings, versus 26.4% Indirect and 3.5% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Alakanuk compares
Alakanuk's risk sits at a similar level relative to Alaska (43rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (54th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Alakanuk ranks 14,517 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,752 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 183 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Alakanuk's elevated rating (54th 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 Alakanuk
Because Direct exposure dominates in Alakanuk (70.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Alakanuk's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 231 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Alakanuk. The exposure-zones guide covers what Alakanuk's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.