Buffalo, KY
Buffalo, KY's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Buffalo sits at the 20th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 442 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Buffalo's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 21st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 83.7% of Buffalo's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 16.3% Minimal share — a profile where 370 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Buffalo ranks
Buffalo scores 20th nationally and 33rd within Kentucky — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Buffalo ranks 25,303 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,417 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kentucky alone, it ranks 369 of 552 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kentucky on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Buffalo
Buffalo's low wildfire rating (20th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 83.7% of Buffalo in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 442 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Buffalo. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Buffalo, see the exposure-zones guide.