Cushing, NE
Cushing wildfire risk explained
Cushing's 48 buildings earn a 67th-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.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cushing at the 62nd national percentile — 5 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 50% of Cushing's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 50% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 24 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Cushing ranks
There's little gap between Cushing's 67th national percentile and its 62nd percentile inside Nebraska, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cushing ranks 10,535 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,978 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 223 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Cushing's high rating (67th 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
Cushing's 50% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 48 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cushing. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Cushing, see the exposure-zones guide.