Curlew, IA
Curlew wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Curlew lands at the 3rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 68 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Curlew's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 3rd percentile nationally.
Where Curlew's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 75% of Curlew's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 25% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Curlew against the rest of the country
Curlew scores 3rd nationally and 6th within Iowa — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Curlew ranks 30,515 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,349 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 957 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Curlew's low rating (3rd 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
With 75% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Curlew gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 68 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Curlew. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Curlew, see the exposure-zones guide.