Cotton City, NM
How exposed is Cotton City to wildfire?
Cotton City's 351 buildings earn a 82nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cotton City at the 83rd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Cotton City's buildings actually sit
95.7% of Cotton City's 351 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 336 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 4.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Cotton City ranks
Cotton City ranks lower within New Mexico (56th percentile statewide) than its 82nd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cotton City ranks 5,803 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,283 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 221 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Cotton City
At the 82nd percentile nationally, Cotton City 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 95.7% of Cotton City 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 Cotton City's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 351 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cotton City. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cotton City's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.