Ely, IA
How exposed is Ely to wildfire?
Ely's 962 buildings earn a 45th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Ely at the 46th percentile, close to its 45th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
75.6% of Ely's 962 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 24.4% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
How Ely compares
Ely's 61st-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 45th 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, Ely ranks 17,389 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,207 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 398 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
At the 45th national percentile, Ely rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Ely's 75.6% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Ely's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Ely's 17,389-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ely's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.