WildfireRiskFinder

Colby, WI

How exposed is Colby to wildfire?

Low
10thpercentile nationally

USFS scores Colby at the 10th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 993 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)

Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Colby at the 10th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.

Where Colby's buildings actually sit

993Total buildings
29.1%Direct exposure
0%Indirect exposure
70.9%Minimal exposure

70.9% of Colby's 993 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 29.1% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.

Colby against the rest of the country

Colby's risk sits at a similar level relative to Wisconsin (6th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (10th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Colby ranks 28,510 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,990 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 762 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.

What this risk score means for insurance

At the 10th national percentile, Colby rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.

Hardening a home in Colby

With 70.9% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Colby gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.

Where Colby's figures come from

The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 993 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Colby. The exposure-zones guide covers what Colby's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.