Appleton, AR
Appleton, AR's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Appleton at the 80th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 342 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Appleton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 84th percentile nationally.
Appleton's building exposure, zone by zone
342 buildings are counted in Appleton, and 95.3% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
How Appleton compares
Appleton's risk sits at a similar level relative to Arkansas (81st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (80th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Appleton ranks 6,260 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,502 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arkansas alone, it ranks 114 of 614 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arkansas on its state page.
Appleton and the insurance market
At the 80th percentile nationally, Appleton 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 Appleton (95.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Appleton's 80th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Appleton, see the exposure-zones guide.