Elgin, IA
Elgin wildfire risk explained
Elgin sits at the 43rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 430 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Elgin at the 44th percentile, close to its 43rd-percentile risk score.
Where Elgin's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 87.7% of Elgin's 430 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 12.3% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Elgin ranks
Elgin's 59th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 43rd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elgin ranks 18,084 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,643 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 423 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
Elgin's elevated rating (43rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Elgin (87.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Elgin's figures come from
Elgin's 43rd-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 Elgin's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.