College Springs, IA
How exposed is College Springs to wildfire?
College Springs sits at the 53rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 216 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks College Springs at the 53rd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
77.3% of College Springs's 216 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 167 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 22.7% are Minimal.
Where College Springs ranks
Within Iowa, College Springs ranks higher (72nd percentile) than it does nationally (53rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, College Springs ranks 14,902 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,269 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 281 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
College Springs and the insurance market
College Springs's elevated rating (53rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in College Springs (77.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
College Springs's 53rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond College Springs, see the exposure-zones guide.