Detroit, AL
Detroit, AL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Detroit at the 57th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 162 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Detroit's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 60th percentile nationally.
Where Detroit's buildings actually sit
88.3% of Detroit's 162 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 143 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 11.7% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Detroit against the rest of the country
Detroit ranks lower within Alabama (18th percentile statewide) than its 57th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Detroit ranks 13,383 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,313 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 483 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Detroit and the insurance market
Detroit's elevated wildfire rating (57th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Detroit's 88.3% 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.
Where Detroit's figures come from
Detroit's 57th-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 Detroit's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.