Benton, LA
How exposed is Benton to wildfire?
Benton sits at the 57th 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 1,174 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Benton at the 59th percentile, close to its 57th-percentile risk score.
Where Benton's buildings actually sit
55.9% of Benton's 1,174 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 44.1% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Benton against the rest of the country
Benton scores 57th nationally and 70th within Louisiana — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Benton ranks 13,546 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,800 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 149 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Benton's elevated rating (57th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Benton's 55.9% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,174 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Benton. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Benton, see the exposure-zones guide.