Cushing, IA
How exposed is Cushing to wildfire?
Cushing sits at the 28th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 178 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cushing's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 25th percentile nationally.
Where Cushing's buildings actually sit
Cushing rates 82.6% Minimal exposure against just 17.4% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 178 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
Where Cushing ranks
Cushing scores 28th nationally and 42nd 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, Cushing ranks 22,846 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,712 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 590 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
At the 28th national percentile, Cushing rates moderate 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 Cushing
With 82.6% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Cushing gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Cushing's figures come from
Cushing's 28th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cushing's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.