Hamburg, IA
How exposed is Hamburg to wildfire?
Hamburg sits at the 64th 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 1,047 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Hamburg at the 61st percentile, close to its 64th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Hamburg's buildings (91.3% of 1,047) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Where Hamburg ranks
Compare Hamburg's two percentiles: 87th within Iowa, only 64th nationally — a gap of 24 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hamburg ranks 11,500 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,605 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 133 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hamburg
At the 64th percentile nationally, Hamburg carries the 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.
Hardening a home in Hamburg
Even with 91.3% of Hamburg outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hamburg's figures come from
Hamburg's 64th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hamburg's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.