Hayden, AL
Hayden wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hayden lands at the 76th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 858 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hayden at the 80th national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Hayden's buildings actually sit
89.5% of Hayden's 858 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 768 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 10.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0.2% are Minimal.
Hayden against the rest of the country
Hayden's risk sits at a similar level relative to Alabama (62nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (76th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hayden ranks 7,614 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,098 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 225 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
Hayden's 76th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Hayden
Because Direct exposure dominates in Hayden (89.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hayden's figures come from
Hayden's 76th-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 Hayden's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.