Clay, CA
Clay, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Clay at the 86th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 1,043 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Clay's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 88th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
98.9% of Clay's 1,043 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,031 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 1.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Clay against the rest of the country
Clay's 86th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 51st ranking inside California does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 34 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clay ranks 4,562 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,638 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 766 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Clay and the insurance market
Clay's 86th-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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Clay (98.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Clay's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Clay's 4,562-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Clay's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.