Altoona, AL
Altoona, AL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Altoona lands at the 75th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 528 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 Altoona at the 79th percentile, close to its 75th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Of Altoona's 528 counted buildings, 71.2% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Altoona against the rest of the country
Altoona ranks lower within Alabama (60th percentile statewide) than its 75th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Altoona ranks 7,740 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,887 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 231 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 75th percentile nationally, Altoona carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Altoona
Altoona's 71.2% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 528 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Altoona. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Altoona, see the exposure-zones guide.