How exposed is Elk City to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Elk City lands at the 100th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 307 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Elk City at the 100th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Elk City's building exposure, zone by zone
307 buildings are counted in Elk City, and 92.5% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Elk City against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Elk City's 100th national percentile and its 100th percentile inside Idaho, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elk City ranks 10 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,440 by building count (1 is largest). Within Idaho alone, it ranks 1 of 232 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Idaho on its state page.
Elk City and the insurance market
At the 100th percentile nationally, Elk City 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Elk City (92.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Elk City's figures come from
Elk City's 100th-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 Elk City's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.