Belen, NM
Belen, NM's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Belen sits at the 58th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,120 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Belen's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 58th percentile nationally.
Where Belen's buildings actually sit
45.9% of Belen's 4,120 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 24.4% Direct and 29.7% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Belen compares
Belen ranks lower within New Mexico (28th percentile statewide) than its 58th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belen ranks 13,120 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,126 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 357 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Belen and the insurance market
At the 58th national percentile, Belen rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because 45.9% of Belen's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Belen's 13,120-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Belen, see the exposure-zones guide.