Chadron, NE
How exposed is Chadron to wildfire?
Chadron's 2,767 buildings earn a 90th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Chadron's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 90th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Chadron (96.1% of 2,767 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 3.9% sit in the Direct zone.
How Chadron compares
Chadron's risk sits at a similar level relative to Nebraska (97th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (90th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chadron ranks 3,312 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,824 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 15 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Chadron
Chadron's 90th-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Chadron (96.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Chadron's figures come from
Chadron's 90th-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 Chadron's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.