Gerber, CA
Gerber wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Gerber at the 84th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 536 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Gerber at the 85th percentile, close to its 84th-percentile risk score.
Where Gerber's buildings actually sit
536 buildings are counted in Gerber, and 84% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 16% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Gerber ranks
Gerber ranks lower within California (47th percentile statewide) than its 84th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gerber ranks 5,094 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,772 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 834 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Gerber
Gerber's 84th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Gerber (84% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Gerber's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gerber's 5,094-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gerber's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.