Decatur, IA
Decatur wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Decatur at the 76th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 167 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Decatur at the 77th percentile, close to its 76th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Decatur (54.5% of 167 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 45.5% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Decatur ranks
Compare Decatur's two percentiles: 98th within Iowa, only 76th nationally — a gap of 22 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Decatur ranks 7,720 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,130 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 25 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
Decatur's high rating (76th 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.
Hardening a home in Decatur
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Decatur (54.5% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Decatur's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 167 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Decatur. The exposure-zones guide covers what Decatur's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.