Emelle, AL
Emelle, AL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Emelle lands at the 60th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 51 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Emelle at the 64th national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Emelle's buildings actually sit
Of Emelle's 51 counted buildings, 78.4% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Emelle compares
Emelle ranks lower within Alabama (27th percentile statewide) than its 60th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Emelle ranks 12,532 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,892 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 432 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Emelle's high rating (60th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Emelle (78.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Emelle's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Emelle's 12,532-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Emelle's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.