Cascade, ID
Cascade wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Cascade at the 96th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 1,098 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cascade's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 97th percentile nationally.
Where Cascade's buildings actually sit
Most of Cascade's buildings (69.9%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Cascade against the rest of the country
Cascade's risk sits at a similar level relative to Idaho (82nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (96th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cascade ranks 1,258 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,285 by building count (1 is largest). Within Idaho alone, it ranks 42 of 232 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Idaho on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 96th percentile nationally, Cascade carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Cascade
Cascade's 69.9% 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.
Where Cascade's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Cascade's 1,258-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cascade's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.