Athens, LA
Athens, LA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Athens's 286 buildings earn a 52nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Athens's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
Where Athens's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 82.9% of Athens's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 17.1% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 237 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Athens compares
Athens's risk sits at a similar level relative to Louisiana (62nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (52nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Athens ranks 14,998 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,006 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 188 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
Athens and the insurance market
At the 52nd national percentile, Athens rates elevated 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 82.9% of Athens in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Athens's 52nd-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 Athens, see the exposure-zones guide.