Headland, AL
How exposed is Headland to wildfire?
Headland sits at the 53rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,906 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Headland at the 53rd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
2,906 buildings are counted in Headland, and 51.3% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 45.1% in Direct exposure or the 3.6% rated Minimal.
Headland against the rest of the country
Headland ranks lower within Alabama (9th percentile statewide) than its 53rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Headland ranks 14,958 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,576 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 541 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Headland and the insurance market
Headland's elevated wildfire rating (53rd percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Headland's 51.3% 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.
More on how this number was built
Headland's 53rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Headland, see the exposure-zones guide.