Homestead, IA
Homestead, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Homestead at the 71st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 124 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Homestead at the 72nd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Homestead's building exposure, zone by zone
62.1% of Homestead's 124 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 77 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 37.9% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Homestead against the rest of the country
Within Iowa, Homestead ranks higher (95th percentile) than it does nationally (71st) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Homestead ranks 9,047 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,982 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 53 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Homestead's high rating (71st percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Homestead (62.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 124 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Homestead. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Homestead, see the exposure-zones guide.