Chetopa, KS
Chetopa wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Chetopa at the 59th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 860 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Chetopa's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Chetopa (59% of 860 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 33.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Chetopa against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Chetopa's 59th national percentile and its 52nd percentile inside Kansas, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chetopa ranks 12,795 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,081 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 348 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 59th national percentile, Chetopa rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Chetopa's 59% 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 Chetopa's figures come from
Chetopa's 59th-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 Chetopa's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.