Gorham, KS
How exposed is Gorham to wildfire?
Gorham's 299 buildings earn a 53rd-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.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gorham at the 50th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Gorham's buildings actually sit
Most of Gorham's buildings (81.9%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Where Gorham ranks
Gorham scores 53rd nationally and 38th within Kansas — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gorham ranks 14,745 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,649 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 445 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Gorham and the insurance market
At the 53rd national percentile, Gorham 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
Gorham's 81.9% 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.
Where Gorham's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 299 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gorham. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gorham's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.