Calimesa, CA
Calimesa, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Calimesa lands at the 98th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 4,651 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Calimesa's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 98th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
64.1% of Calimesa's 4,651 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 36% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Calimesa compares
Calimesa's risk sits at a similar level relative to California (86th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (98th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Calimesa ranks 493 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,656 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 222 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Calimesa
Calimesa's 98th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Calimesa (64.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Calimesa's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Calimesa's 493-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Calimesa's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.