Elkins, AR
Elkins wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Elkins lands at the 86th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 1,673 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Elkins at the 88th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Elkins's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 66.2% of Elkins's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 33.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 1,108 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Elkins ranks
Elkins's risk sits at a similar level relative to Arkansas (94th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (86th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elkins ranks 4,526 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,510 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arkansas alone, it ranks 39 of 614 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arkansas on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Elkins
At the 86th percentile nationally, Elkins 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 Elkins
Elkins's 66.2% 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,673 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Elkins. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Elkins, see the exposure-zones guide.