Golden, NM
How exposed is Golden to wildfire?
Golden sits at the 89th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 31 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Golden at the 86th national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Golden's buildings actually sit
31 buildings are counted in Golden, and 100% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Golden ranks
Golden's 89th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 73rd ranking inside New Mexico does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 16 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Golden ranks 3,343 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,349 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 134 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 89th percentile nationally, Golden carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Golden's 100% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Golden's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 31 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Golden. The exposure-zones guide covers what Golden's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.