Elma, WA
Elma wildfire risk explained
Elma sits at the 27th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,707 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Elma at the 31st national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Elma's building exposure, zone by zone
90.2% of Elma's 1,707 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 9.8% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Elma against the rest of the country
Within Washington, Elma ranks higher (46th percentile) than it does nationally (27th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elma ranks 22,929 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,399 by building count (1 is largest). Within Washington alone, it ranks 343 of 628 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Washington on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Elma's moderate rating (27th 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 Elma
Because 90.2% of Elma's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,707 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Elma. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Elma, see the exposure-zones guide.