Eldridge, IA
Eldridge wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Eldridge at the 21st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 2,674 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Eldridge at the 21st national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Eldridge's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Eldridge's buildings (89.3% of 2,674) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Eldridge against the rest of the country
Eldridge's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (33rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (21st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Eldridge ranks 25,021 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,974 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 679 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Eldridge
Eldridge's moderate rating (21st percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Eldridge
Even with 89.3% of Eldridge outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Eldridge's 21st-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Eldridge, see the exposure-zones guide.