Balltown, IA
How exposed is Balltown to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Balltown lands at the 25th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 43 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 Balltown at the 27th percentile, close to its 25th-percentile risk score.
Where Balltown's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 90.7% of Balltown's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 9.3% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 39 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Balltown against the rest of the country
Balltown scores 25th nationally and 39th within Iowa — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Balltown ranks 23,507 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,098 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 621 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 25th national percentile, Balltown rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Balltown
With 90.7% of Balltown 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.
Where Balltown's figures come from
Balltown's 25th-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 Balltown's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.