Cortez, CO
Cortez wildfire risk explained
Cortez's 4,377 buildings earn a 73rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Cortez at the 72nd percentile, close to its 73rd-percentile risk score.
Where Cortez's buildings actually sit
75.5% of Cortez's 4,377 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 19.9% Direct and 4.6% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Cortez compares
Cortez ranks lower within Colorado (42nd percentile statewide) than its 73rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cortez ranks 8,406 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,897 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 274 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Cortez's high rating (73rd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because 75.5% of Cortez's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Cortez's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Cortez's 8,406-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cortez's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.