Boutte, LA
Boutte wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Boutte at the 43rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,457 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Boutte's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
Where Boutte's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Boutte (62.2% of 1,457 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 37.8% sit in the Direct zone.
How Boutte compares
Boutte scores 43rd nationally and 43rd 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, Boutte ranks 18,086 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,364 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 278 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
Boutte and the insurance market
Boutte's elevated rating (43rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Boutte
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Boutte (62.2% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Boutte's figures come from
Boutte's 43rd-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 Boutte's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.