Cates, IN
Cates, IN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Cates at the 8th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 82 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cates's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 8th percentile nationally.
Where Cates's buildings actually sit
Most of Cates's buildings (70.7% of 82) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Cates compares
Cates's 50th-percentile standing inside Indiana outpaces its 8th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cates ranks 28,929 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,795 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 485 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
Cates and the insurance market
Cates's low rating (8th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 70.7% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Cates gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Cates's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 82 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cates. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cates's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.