Berkley, IA
Berkley wildfire risk explained
Berkley's 38 buildings earn a 19th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Berkley's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 18th percentile nationally.
Where Berkley's buildings actually sit
76.3% of Berkley's 38 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 29 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 23.7% are Minimal.
Where Berkley ranks
Berkley's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (32nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (19th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Berkley ranks 25,400 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,203 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 696 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Berkley and the insurance market
Berkley's low wildfire rating (19th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Berkley (76.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Berkley's 25,400-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Berkley, see the exposure-zones guide.