Benson, UT
Benson wildfire risk explained
Benson sits at the 67th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,458 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Benson at the 67th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Benson's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 59.7% of Benson's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 17.1% Indirect share and far above its 23.2% Minimal share — a profile where 871 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Benson compares
Benson ranks lower within Utah (26th percentile statewide) than its 67th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Benson ranks 10,444 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,363 by building count (1 is largest). Within Utah alone, it ranks 241 of 326 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Utah on its state page.
Benson and the insurance market
Benson's 67th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Benson (59.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Benson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Benson's 10,444-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Benson's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.