Ephrata, WA
Ephrata, WA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Ephrata at the 96th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 3,871 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ephrata's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 96th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
3,871 buildings are counted in Ephrata, and 95.6% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 4.4% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Ephrata compares
Ephrata scores 96th nationally and 89th within Washington — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ephrata ranks 1,371 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,366 by building count (1 is largest). Within Washington alone, it ranks 72 of 628 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Washington on its state page.
Ephrata and the insurance market
Ephrata's very high rating (96th 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
Ephrata's 95.6% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,871 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Ephrata. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Ephrata, see the exposure-zones guide.