Elida, NM
Elida, NM's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Elida at the 99th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 233 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Elida's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 99th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Elida's buildings (54.9%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
How Elida compares
Elida's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Mexico (97th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (99th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elida ranks 326 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,705 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 17 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Elida and the insurance market
At the 99th percentile nationally, Elida carries the very 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 Elida
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Elida (54.9% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Elida's figures come from
Elida's 99th-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 Elida's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.