Dawson, NE
Dawson wildfire risk explained
Dawson sits at the 72nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 146 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Dawson at the 73rd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Dawson's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 67.1% of Dawson's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 32.9% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
How Dawson compares
Dawson's risk sits at a similar level relative to Nebraska (73rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (72nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Dawson ranks 8,771 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,032 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 158 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Dawson
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Dawson carries the 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.
Hardening a home in Dawson
Dawson's 67.1% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Dawson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Dawson's 8,771-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Dawson's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.