Derby, IA
Derby wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Derby lands at the 64th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 137 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Derby at the 65th percentile, close to its 64th-percentile risk score.
Derby's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Derby's 137 counted buildings, 73% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Derby against the rest of the country
Within Iowa, Derby ranks higher (89th percentile) than it does nationally (64th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Derby ranks 11,219 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,396 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 118 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 64th percentile nationally, Derby 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 Derby
With 73% of Derby in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 137 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Derby. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Derby, see the exposure-zones guide.