Guadalupe, CA
Guadalupe, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Guadalupe sits at the 61st percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,734 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Guadalupe's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
Where Guadalupe's buildings actually sit
Most of Guadalupe's buildings (97.6%) 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 Guadalupe ranks
Guadalupe ranks lower within California (19th percentile statewide) than its 61st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Guadalupe ranks 12,439 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,280 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,277 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Guadalupe sits in California, one of two states that legally require a wildfire-risk disclosure at sale. California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, ended 2025 with 668,609 residential policies after adding 21,859 in Q4 alone — the kind of market shift a 61st-percentile score like Guadalupe's can end up mattering for. More on the disclosure law.
Hardening a home in Guadalupe
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Guadalupe (97.6% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Guadalupe's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,734 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Guadalupe. The exposure-zones guide covers what Guadalupe's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.