Hartselle, AL
Hartselle wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Hartselle at the 47th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 7,646 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hartselle at the 50th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Hartselle's buildings actually sit
7,646 buildings are counted in Hartselle, and 51.6% 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. At 7,646 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Hartselle ranks
Hartselle ranks lower within Alabama (5th percentile statewide) than its 47th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hartselle ranks 16,723 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,231 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 561 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 47th national percentile, Hartselle rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Hartselle's 51.6% 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 Hartselle's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 7,646 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Hartselle. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hartselle's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.