Altoona, FL
Altoona, FL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Altoona at the 88th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 119 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Altoona at the 89th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Altoona's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 87.4% of Altoona's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 12.6% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 104 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Altoona ranks
There's little gap between Altoona's 88th national percentile and its 74th percentile inside Florida, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Altoona ranks 3,900 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,182 by building count (1 is largest). Within Florida alone, it ranks 253 of 955 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Florida on its state page.
Altoona and the insurance market
At the 88th percentile nationally, Altoona carries the very 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Altoona (87.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Altoona's figures come from
Altoona's 88th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Altoona's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.