Bayard, NM
How exposed is Bayard to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Bayard lands at the 81st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 1,338 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bayard at the 76th national percentile — 5 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Bayard's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 94.3% of Bayard's 1,338 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 5.7% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Bayard against the rest of the country
Bayard ranks lower within New Mexico (55th percentile statewide) than its 81st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bayard ranks 6,021 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,890 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 225 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Bayard and the insurance market
Bayard's very high rating (81st percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Bayard (94.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Bayard's figures come from
Bayard's 81st-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 Bayard's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.