Cochiti Lake, NM
How exposed is Cochiti Lake to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Cochiti Lake lands at the 83rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 238 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cochiti Lake at the 81st national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Cochiti Lake's buildings actually sit
238 buildings are counted in Cochiti Lake, and 88.2% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Cochiti Lake against the rest of the country
Cochiti Lake ranks lower within New Mexico (57th percentile statewide) than its 83rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cochiti Lake ranks 5,488 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,536 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 211 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Cochiti Lake and the insurance market
At the 83rd percentile nationally, Cochiti Lake 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 Cochiti Lake
With 88.2% of Cochiti Lake in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Cochiti Lake's figures come from
Cochiti Lake's 83rd-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 Cochiti Lake's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.